Verizon(land line) CWA and IBEW walkout...

[JockoJohnson]

This.

Regarding telcos, something interesting happened here in Chattannoga, TN. We have a community-owned electrical coop called the Electric Power Board - it's our electric utility. One of their major costs is meter reading; it's also one of their major liabilities. Due to the non-conductive nature of glass fiber, it can share their vaults. So they embarked on a five year project to provide multimode fiber optic cable to every customer - something no cable or phone company will do. They even finished early. This allows them to install smart meters which can be read remotely, but it also allows them to offer telephone, television, and fast Internet service to every household, at competitive prices. Comcast and AT&T fought it in court as unfair competition, but lost. Now every electrical customer in the area (which includes parts of other counties and even part of Georgia) have access to at least one reasonably priced telephone, television, and fast Internet provider. Even far-flung rural customers have this, as reading their meters costs the most.

So while vanishing landlines may discourage telcos, that void might also be filled by electrical utilities.

Another benefit is that it allows the EPB to eventually bill per time of day. By changing people's behavior via financial incentives, they can more evenly load the grid and avoid such an outsized peak load.

That is great. I never thought about the electric companies providing all those services. Good innovation there. And isn't that ironic that Comcast and AT&T would sue over unfair advantages? I hope more companies start to provide additional services like this. Opening the market up is good for the consumer...not so much for the companies monopolizing them now.

 

[Red Dawn]

And here comes the lawsuits:
http://www.dailytech.com/Verizon+Su...s+Reward+to+Combat+Vandalism/article22423.htm

I'm mostly pro Union but when they start destroying others property that's where I draw the line with my support, in addition it is counter productive.

 

[spidey07]

And here comes the lawsuits:
http://www.dailytech.com/Verizon+Su...s+Reward+to+Combat+Vandalism/article22423.htm

I'm still pretty sure intentionally damaging telecom lines/equipment is a hefty federal crime.

 

[dainthomas]

I'm still pretty sure intentionally damaging telecom lines/equipment is a hefty federal crime.

Maybe, but it's academic. Have fun proving in a court of law that a specific individual did any particular act of vandalism or union leadership explicitly ordered their members to vandalize.

 

[Reckoner]

My FIOS installation has been deLayed indefinitely because of this nonsense. These guys are making at least 60k a year (per NY Times) and they have the balls to strike? In this economic climate? Get real.

 

[trenchfoot]

I'm mostly pro Union but when they start destroying others property that's where I draw the line with my support, in addition it is counter productive.

Absolutely agree.

The wayward union member may destroy property but the wayward company executive does far more damage by destroying livelihoods.

Yet damaging property carries more weight because it's against the law and destroying livelihoods is perfectly legal.

 

[IBMer]

My FIOS installation has been deLayed indefinitely because of this nonsense. These guys are making at least 60k a year (per NY Times) and they have the balls to strike? In this economic climate? Get real.

You understand that they aren't striking for more money. Also, whenever you see what a union worker makes per year, this is a diversion to make you think they make a ton of money in a 40 hour work week. Most of the time those high union salaries are with TONS of over time. 60k a year ain't all that hot when it was with 60-70 hour work weeks is it.

 

[Reckoner]

You understand that they aren't striking for more money. Also, whenever you see what a union worker makes per year, this is a diversion to make you think they make a ton of money in a 40 hour work week. Most of the time those high union salaries are with TONS of over time. 60k a year ain't all that hot when it was with 60-70 hour work weeks is it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/06/national/main20089137.shtml


"The Times reports that there is also a dispute over the overall size of salary for union members: Verizon says many field technicians earn more than $100,000 a year, including overtime, with an additional $50,000 in benefits; Union officials say the field technicians and call center workers generally earn $60,000 to $77,000 before overtime, saying that benefits come to well under $50,000 a year."


So 60k is the LOW end of the spectrum BEFORE overtime.

 

[spidey07]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/06/national/main20089137.shtml


"The Times reports that there is also a dispute over the overall size of salary for union members: Verizon says many field technicians earn more than $100,000 a year, including overtime, with an additional $50,000 in benefits; Union officials say the field technicians and call center workers generally earn $60,000 to $77,000 before overtime, saying that benefits come to well under $50,000 a year."


So 60k is the LOW end of the spectrum BEFORE overtime.

OWNED!

Add in overtime and you're making good money with incredible benefits. How many call center folks do you know making 77k PLUS getting some overtime, plus incredible benefits/retirement?

 

[Schadenfroh]

Edit: Reckoner beat me to it

plus incredible benefits/retirement?

This is a nice perk:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article;jsessionid=72BE6D545712ED31BAD960FEA7945511.w5?a=828017&f=24&p=1

He said the strikers were part of a rarefied group who contributed nothing toward their health insurance premiums. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, just 1 percent of American workers pay nothing toward their family coverage premiums.