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Union To Verizon: Hear Us Now?
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Published: April 4, 2008
TAMPA - Verizon's largest labor union in Florida is asking employees and customers to picket the company's workplaces Monday. But the protest isn't about union jobs at Verizon, they say.
Rather it's about the level of customer service the company is giving customers, union officials say.
"Verizon is not letting us do our jobs, and not letting us take care of the customer," said Doug Sellers, president of the union that represents Verizon call center and repair workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 824. "Customers are waiting up to 10 days to get their phone lines fixed. ... If you have something as simple as static on your line, that could be out 10 to 15 days."
Such pickets are a rare occurrence in Tampa, Sellers said, and it comes as "a last resort" after meetings with Verizon managers did not prove satisfactory to the union.
Meanwhile, the Tampa City Council voted Thursday to ask Verizon officials to come to a meeting and address customer service issues.
Councilman John Dingfelder made a motion to explore the issue Thursday, citing the city's role in 2006 in granting Verizon a franchise to sell cable TV in the city.
Dingfelder said the city should "make sure we monitor these things," and make a "cordial request," to Verizon executives to appear before council.
In the past, Dingfelder and council chairwoman Gwen Miller have said the city staff could review customer service complaints about Verizon. That forum will happen in four weeks, at the city's May 1 meeting. Dingfelder said residents and customers are invited to talk about their experiences with Verizon during the open commentary period at the beginning of the meeting.
Regarding the union picketing, Verizon spokeswoman Sharon Shaffer said the union has the right to picket.
"But I can assure you that Verizon has acted well within the bounds of the contract," she said in a statement. "We will continue to build on a shared commitment among our employees to ensure that Verizon customers experience quality service. We will continue to work with our employees and within our agreements to that end."
Sellers said too many resources have been diverted to selling more Verizon services, rather than fixing customer problems.
The union represents about 4,000 Verizon workers in the seven-county area around Tampa Bay, he said.
The protest plans come as The Tampa Tribune last week illustrated cases of customer service problems at Verizon.
A flier publicizing the event was distributed across the region this morning, and says in part, "It's time to let the company know that we are quality employees and will provide quality service. We will not churn and burn."
The union characterized the picket as "informational," meaning employees aren't walking off the job or blocking workplaces. Rather the union plans pickets for Monday morning at workplaces, before the workday begins.
With regard to delays getting traditional phone lines fixed, Verizon spokesman Bob Elek said "We have had a recent bump in the road with 'out of service' customers, which is not the norm." He said new technicians are being trained and service levels should improve.
Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at rmullins@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7919.
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