Verizon strike fizzles out, they'll return to work Tuesday without a deal

When a judge has to order you not to throw feces you've pretty much lost the messaging war. So, with their tails between their legs (and a nice two week vacation under their tool belts) striking Verizon workers will return to work on Tuesday, while negotiations continue with management.

"The major issues remain to be discussed, but overall, issues now are focused and narrowed," the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Verizon's version of Baghdad Bob had this to say:

Marc Reed, Verizon's executive vice president of human resources, credited the company's managers with "ably meeting the needs of our customers" during the 14-day strike. This enabled the company to "withstand the strike without significant disruption to customer service," he said.

Nice game face Marc. Now here's the reality. My buddy moved his store to a new location while you were "ably meeting the needs" of your customers. He scheduled his service transfer before the strike. On the day he moved Verizon called, saying they couldn't get him hooked up for at least ninety days. But in a masterstroke of par-for-the-course incompetence they'd gone ahead and disconnected the phones at his old location. And to really screw him over they decommissioned his phone number too, returning it to the "free pool" since there was no new location to transfer it to. People who call him now get a recording saying the number has been disconnected and there is no new number. You know, like he's out of business.

But I suppose that isn't a "significant disruption to customer service", eh Marc?

They don't have to care, they're The Phone Company.

On the other hand, pissed off customers have a way of — how did the unions put it? — focusing the issues. A day late and a dollar short to be sure, but hey, there's always Comcast.

(More at Memeorandum)

UPDATE 20 Aug 2011 22:39:
Jimmie Bise ain't feelin' the VZ love either.

Posted at 17:56 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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