Verizon and its striking unions agreed to stop making public statements as the U.S. Secretary of Labor sought to resolve the dispute.
The U.S. Department of Labor and Secretary Thomas Perez issued the following statement
“The parties involved in the Verizon labor dispute, including the senior leadership of the unions and the company and their bargaining teams, met today in Washington with Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Allison Beck, an experienced federal mediator who the parties agreed today would assist in the ongoing contract negotiations. Discussions will continue in Washington this week under the auspices of the Department of Labor. The parties further agreed that during these talks they will make no public statements, nor will there be comments from the federal officials involved. ”
“I’m encouraged by the parties’ continued commitment to remain at the bargaining table and work toward a resolution,” Secretary Perez said. “We will continue to facilitate conversations to help the unions and the company reach an agreement,” the statement concluded.
The strike, now into its second month, had become increasingly bitter, with the company claiming sabotage of its landline operation and the union claiming the company has a much larger call center operation in the Philippines than first indicated.
Customers have also reported delays and outages.
The company has sought changes in call centers staffed by union members. The company faces competition from largely nonunion Comcast for at its FiOS fiber-optic system.
Verizon’s larger wireless business is largely nonunion.
