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Notice Verizon HQ

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by jw25413, Aug 10, 2011.

  1. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    I'm not talking about any company line. I'm talking plain business sense and economics. I don't expect a discount if the strikers don't get what they want. I DO expect costs related to landline services to go up if the strikers get what they want.

    It's a business. They exist to make money and to satisfy shareholders. If income goes down or stays the same (their landline business has been going down for years), and expenses related to health care go up (as they have been for years), common sense tells me that they need to make up that difference in order to keep their shareholders happy. Since the union will keep them from making up the difference through reduction of inefficient employees, etc, the only alternative they have left is to increase the costs of their services. Thus, consumers have to foot the bill.

    The 'runaway' salaries of upper-management that you're mentioning is a much smaller amount than the cost of health-care for 45,000 employees.
     
  2. MadCat07

    MadCat07 New Member

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    Understood -- it's a matter of how much is necessary/acceptable to keep doing business. Many corporations would gladly (and do when they can) ship jobs elsewhere (India/China/Phillipines), not always because they "have to" but because they can. The result is displaced American workers and crappy customer service, but everyone just seems to accept it and move on. It's easy to be dismissive of this kind of activity until it comes knocking on your door.

    BTW, relative to Verizon, does anybody know the average salary of the striking employees ? Suppose they are making a low salary with the tradeoff having been no-cost healtcare ?
     
  3. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Having over 20 years in the tech industry, I've seen first hand how the 'migration' of jobs overseas impacts employees here. I've seen many, many good people/friends lose their jobs because they were outsourced overseas. Folks who know me know how I feel about overseas outsourcing... :angryfire:

    Don't want to hijaack the thread or anything by changing the subject, just wanted to make that clear per your reply. Thanks.
     
  4. mwb2218

    mwb2218 New Member

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    I received a copy of a report by a leading benefits consulting company- around 50% of all employers who offer health insurance now will drop it entirely and move onto good ol' Uncle Sams plan- so maybe a non issue for the workers on strike. Verizon may just drop it entirely...
     
  5. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    Same here. As of last year (new CFO), and quarterly bonuses for the CEO, impacted benefits, among other things...

    Up until this change, employees were not out of pocket.
     
  6. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    $12 a month is a pittance compared to many folks who have to pay SIGNIFICANTLY more than that for Health/Dental. Be happy you are paying such a small amount!!! Some of us are stuck paying much more than that!!!
     
  7. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Regardless of who thinks who is wrong, I know that most people would not willingly give up a great benefits package without making sure the boss knows how they feel. It likely ends up being a negotiation tool so that the workers feel like they weren't completely hosed.
     
  8. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    And you would pay significantly more if you were self-employed. $12 may be SIGNIFICANT to you if you're earning low wages, maybe not. Don't be so judgemental. It's all relative to the situation.
     
  9. Kaosdad

    Kaosdad Will work for Rum

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    To the Striking Verizon A$$hat$ from folks who are unemployed and have been for a year +: When would you like to trade jobs?

    GET. BACK. TO. WORK. :happygrin:
     
  10. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    FWIW, I have several friends that are independent consultants (hence, they work for themselves) and they are paying MUCH more than 12 bucks a month. $12/month is EXTREMELY low for BOTH health ins and dental. Fewer and fewer companies today are offering FULL benefits to their employees. Last I heard, a good friend of mine who works for Microsoft in Seattle said that for the first time ever, the company is looking at ways to save $$$ so they are looking at possibly beginning to have their employees begin to cough up on the health insurance.

    So $12 is NOTHING compared to hundreds of dollars many of us have to pay for health insurance.
     
  11. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    I totally agree with your sentiment here.
     
  12. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Keep in mind folks...its definitely NOT an employee's market anymore these days...Its an employers' market and if one bellyaches to management/owner about health benefits and the costs, you can bet they will let you go (Virginia is an "at-will" state). There are PLENTY of unemployed folks out there who gladly will take the place of a bellyacher just to get a paycheck and feed their families. Nothing is free anymore and I don't expect my employer to pay for ALL of my health care insurance nor do I believe that Im entitled to such...after all, they could replace me with a temp whom they don't have to pay benefits for.

    To those that are demanding or want fully company paid health insurance...count your blessings that you have at least a JOB when some of those who are unemployed don't.
     
  13. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    If I were in that genome of the Verizon organism, I would seriously be proactive in repurposing myself Otherwise the laws of survival will kick in and you will not survive. Don't go after the Darwin award please.

    Wow, how many thousands have extensive landline exerience have been sidelined over the past few years that can backfill into that line of work. And to think you would put a dying job on the line to try and avoid a partial contribution to healthcare - because V owes you?

    Reminiscent of the mainframe guys that didn't read the tea-leaves when a brand new J2EE application replaced an outdated CICS app on a prior contract. The group fell into two factions, those who were proactive and worked to learn the architecture, dove into it head first and learned to swim - and those who sat back expecting the organization to retain them, and personally provide a paved road on which to transition into other work (these folks met a hard reality in the end).

    This is a jungle, learn to hunt and survive, or get eaten... period. The rules will never change because they are driven by the fundamental principle of supply and demand... this exhibition missed the boat on that front in a large way.
     
  14. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    You're very fortunate to be employed and have health benefits, many families don't.
     
  15. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    I know and it really irks me when someone says that $12/month is a significant amount for health insurance when it really isn't that significant when the minimum wage is something like $8 an hour or something a bit higher. I say to this...try paying $350 or more a month for health insurance and dental. A friend of mine pays $550 a month (!) when his income is in fact much lower than mine. So $12/month is a pittance compared to this.
     
  16. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    Very true, and not to be overlooked. To Caps point - for those who are employed and need to get some skin in the game - I do agree that a $12 monthly contribution to health care is next to nothing and should be welcomed with open arms, all things considered. I'm dishing out several hundreds a month for family coverage - and that's with substantial corp. contributions. I have a colleague that participates as an independent consultant and his individually acquired family health care plan is through the roof. His per-hour rate as a system architect appropriately reflects that cost - illustrating Mr. Linux's point on costs trickling back down to the consumer.
     
  17. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    You hit it right on the nail....Thanks for your posting!
     
  18. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    took me a couple reads to catch the reference... thanks for the laugh :pofl:
     
  19. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    OH! LOL!!! I just caught that! HA! :happyclap:
     
  20. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    Verizon says its unionized employees are well paid, with many field technicians earning more than $90,000 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 a year before overtime and that benefits come to far less than $50,000 a year.

    These aren't minimum wage 'working stiffs' just getting by, even at the low estimate, they are around $70K adjusted. Not dismissing your ire for completely absurd exec packages, but not tuning the violin for these guys either.

    Estimated max hit is $3,000 per year, roughly 3-4 percent of income... <sob> Try 10-15K a year...
     

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