Verizon, unions set to return to bargaining table
WASHINGTON (AP) — Verizon and union officials representing about 39,000 striking landline and cable workers in nine eastern states and Washington, D.C., agreed to restart negotiations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The two striking unions, the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, represent installers, customer service employees, repairmen and other service workers in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., for Verizon's wireline business, which provides fixed-line phone services and FiOS Internet service.
The unions have said they're striking because Verizon wants to freeze pensions, make layoffs easier and rely more on contract workers.