Last Thursday, May 16th, the New York Public Service Commission held a hearing for Verizon’s attempt to abandon the landline in New York. Verizon attempted to amend its tariff so that the company could abandon copper wire in favor of a wireless alternative, called Voice Link.

While Verizon focused on the west end of Fire Island, its amended tariff would have applied to all of New York State.

The PSC granted limited approval that will apply to Fire Island only, while they continue to review the issue and weigh public comment. This small, but temporary victory is due to the work you put in collecting signatures on our petitions and having our local elected leaders lending their support.

Our work is not done! We cannot let Verizon successfully change the law in New York State that will do away with your work and do away with you! CWA will be in Albany over the next month working to get laws passed to protect our work and your jobs!

We need every member to call their Assemblyman and New York Senator to tell them we expect them to co-sponsor and vote for these job saving bills. They are the following:

FiOS Study Bill Number A 6003
Call Center Bill Number A 7144 / Senate Version S4434
Voice Link Moratorium Bill – Bill Number ‘pending’ and

We cannot afford to have anyone sit on the sidelines! Everyone must call to support our efforts in Albany!

The Assembly Switchboard # is: 518-455-4100
The Senate Switchboard # is: 518-455-2800

If you do not know who your Assemblyman or Senator is, Google NYS Assembly and NYS Senate and put in your address and zip code and it will tell you who represents you in New York State.

The time is now brothers and sisters to fight for our jobs! The time is now to fight for our work! Make the call now!

By Karl Bode

Verizon’s attempt to hang up on their copper networks in Sandy-impacted areas has gotten more complicated after the NY Public Service Commission last week indicated hesitation at letting Verizon disconnect users state wide without first understanding the repercussions. According to regional Long Island news reports, the PSC has granted Verizon temporary approval to pull DSL on Fire Island, NY, replacing it with Verizon’s Voice Link wireless service. The PSC has raised concerns about Voice Link not being an adequate substitute for POTS and DSL:

Read the full story here.

Verizon Looks to Cut the Copper Wire

Verizon is hoping to pilot a new phone system that doesn’t rely on costly copper wiring in areas ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. Under a plan currently before regulators the telecommunications giant would turn home phones in areas like Fire Island into “tethered” cell phones.

New York Times reporter Patrick McGeehan talks about the controversial switch.

Waiting for the Phone to Ring, 6 Months After the Storm.

Customers Quit Verizon Over Extended Phone and Internet Outages
Despite

Problems After Sandy, Wireless Providers Resist Change

By David Salway – About.com

Verizon Strategy Reflects Plan to Upgrade Copper From DSL Service to FiOS
Facing criticism from residents in rural areas of the country for abandoning upgrades to aging copper network infrastructure, Verizon executives announced plans to replace copper broadband technology damaged by Hurricane Sandy with newer and faster fiber-based networks.

The company’s DSL upgrade strategy of foregoing expensive copper network upgrades in lieu of offering customers the choice of signing up for its 4G wireless home broadband service branded as HomeFusion, is a deliberate plan to increase revenues from its broadband customers, while avoiding costly upgrades to an obsolete type of broadband technology. Verizon’s long-planned launch of home broadband service powered by its constantly expanding LTE wireless network was basically a decision to trade in ground copper for more expensive wireless technology.

Although the strategy would seem like a winning one for both the company and consumers – there is a significant downside for Verizon’s existing DSL customers. In order to trade slower wireline broadband service for faster and more widely available wireless service, customers must pay a costly premium.

Read the full story here.

CWA activists, members and supporters were out in force at the Cablevision-Optimum annual meeting today in Bethpage, N.Y., spotlighting the fight for a fair contract for nearly 300 members of CWA Local 1109. Inside the meeting, CWA activists raised questions about the company’s fight against workers who just want a fair contract, questions that CEO John Dolan refused to answer, said Chris Calabrese, executive vice president of Local 1109. “CEO John Dolan was arrogant and dismissive even though the questioners were shareholders and had the right to attend and raise important issues. He even called the police to have them thrown out of the meeting and arrested,” he said.

Cablevision workers remain energized and motivated, no matter what. Because of a tremendous community and public support campaign, 22 workers who were illegally fired and locked out earlier this year are back at work, a huge victory. This group is strong, Calabrese said. “Our bargaining team is strong too. But we’re not going to settle for less while other Cablevision workers have gotten big wage increases,” he said.

The bargaining committee had been meeting for several days in Washington, D.C., in negotiations with Cablevision-Optimum led by George Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. While significant progress was made, those talks stalled this week as Cablevision refused to negotiate a fair wage rate for the Brooklyn workers, one that would be commensurate with what other Cablevision technicians and employees earn.

Community groups and elected officials throughout the New York City region are standing strong with the Cablevision workers and are ready to continue the fight, Calabrese said. Recently, the City Council held a hearing on whether Cablevision-Optimum’s anti-worker campaign had violated its franchise agreement with the City of New York, and major Democratic mayoral candidates and other leaders joined rallies and demonstrations to push Cablevision to do the right thing.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, CEO Dolan said that he looked forward to a pending NLRB hearing. That’s a far cry from his remarks during recent bargaining, when Cablevision said it would file a legal motion to block two National Labor Relations Board complaints that charged Cablevision with multiple violations of the law.

Cablevision claims that the directors of two NLRB regions have no standing because the appeals court rules that all of President Obama’s recess appointments and two NLRB members in particular were not constitutional. This decision is preposterous since it would mean that more than 100 recess appointments by Presidents Obama and Bush, and their decisions, would be thrown out. CWA is calling on the Senate to “Give Us Five” and confirm a package of five nominations to the NLRB so that 80 million private sector workers won’t lose the protections of labor law.

Source: CWA News

New Brooklyn Call Center to Be Staffed by Nearly 1,400 Verizon Employees, Benefitting Local Economy; Company’s Plan Will Also Benefit Lower Manhattan Economy
By Verizon – Tuesday, May 7, 2013

NEW YORK, May 7, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ — In a move to consolidate its operations and contribute to the flourishing lower Manhattan and Brooklyn economies, Verizon plans to market about half of its building at 140 West Street for either lease or sale to outside parties, while significantly boosting its employee presence in downtown Brooklyn.

This week, the company is inviting several real estate investors to assess the value of the West Street building’s space and submit plans for possible use. As the city moves forward with major enhancements to the World Trade Center complex, it is anticipated that possible uses could include residential and hotel space.

While Verizon intends to keep its headquarters in Manhattan, the company plans to market 18 of the upper floors of its 31-story West Street building, while retaining floors one through 10 for employees and associated communications facilities. The company is also exploring the possibility of marketing the ground-floor space in the building for potential retail, restaurant and other storefront opportunities.

Any changes to the building would involve the approval of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, since the building’s lobby and exterior are designated as New York City landmarks.

“Lower Manhattan – especially the World Trade Center neighborhood – is destined to be an important tourist and commercial center for the world, and the plan that Verizon is proposing is in concert with that grand vision for the area,” said John Vazquez, Verizon vice president of global real estate. “Our long-term vision for our building preserves its historic character while complementing the thriving economy and community in lower Manhattan.”

In connection with the marketing of the space and any future real estate deal, the company is moving approximately 1,100 employees — most of them customer service representatives — to a Verizon-occupied building at 395 Flatbush Ave. Extension in Brooklyn. Some 300 employees are currently located there. The company is making enhancements to the building, including a fitness center, centralized training facilities and other improvements.

“This is a real shot in the arm to the Brooklyn economy and the New York City economy in general,” said Carlo A. Scissura, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “Verizon and its employees will find Brooklyn a thriving, inviting and enjoyable experience for a major part of their operation. By creating a regional call center in our borough, and at the same time developing its grand vision for its iconic building in lower Manhattan, Verizon has exhibited its commitment to New York City and these great centers of commerce and growth. We look forward to welcoming these employees to Brooklyn.”

Verizon has conducted sales of parts of its buildings in New York City and elsewhere. Notably, the company has sold parts of its buildings at 1095 Avenue of the Americas and at 375 Pearl St., while maintaining its communications equipment and related facilities at both locations.

Source: Verizon