Verizon, Strikers Head Back to Court, Bargaining Table

An official with the Verizon union representing striking wireline workers said that negotiators will meet at 11 a.m. today, Tuesday, to continue contract talks that

William Huber, president and business manager for the New Jersey-based IBEW Local 827, said that little progress had been made in negotiations, however. Throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, 45,000 Verizon union employees are on strike, including 5,400 in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, Huber said the union and Verizon are headed back to state Superior Court in Sussex County to discuss the enforcement of an outlined how picketers may gather in front of Verizon facilities and work sites.

Huber said on Tuesday morning that municipalities have been calling police to enforce such restrictions as how many picketers may gather at a particular location.

Huber said police also had spoken to police near the Verizon Center in Basking Ridge. He said that, according to the injunction, any complaints should be brought to attorneys, who if issues can't be resolved would return to court.

"We are living within the restrictions of the injunction," Huber said. The injunction does not allow strikers to block work sites or entrances, and restricts picketers to no more than six at each location.

But Huber said his interpretation was that as many picketers as possible may gather if they are more than 25 feet from Verizon property or work locations.

Late Tuesday morning, Bernards Police Lt. Ted Reese said he was not aware of any recent specific incident that has caused the township department to respond, other than the department's deployment in place since the beginning of the strike.

"We have had a constant police presence at the Verizon facility from the time the strike started," Reese said. He previously said officers had stopped by with a car to monitor the situation. "Our goal is to provide a safe and secure environment for the picketers and the public that is passing through the picket area."

"We have been working successfully with the union leadership and Verizon staff and look forward to continued cooperation with all parties involved," Reese said.

Patch will continue to update the story with further information.

Huber said on Tuesday that out of 75 remaining disputed issues in the contract, Verizon has only made a concession on one. The company has agreed that it will not tie work evaluations to wages set by the union contract, Huber said.

However, he said many issues, such as wages, remain unsettled. And he said Verizon is maintaining a hard stance on what he said are minor disagreements. Other negotiating points govern work conditions, related to safety issues, he said.

When the strike began its first week, Huber said he did not believe that non-union employees, including managers from the Basking Ridge facility, would be able to adequately handle the job responsibilities of trained Verion line workers. He also said that those fill-in workers also not always were adhering to the safety standards that the involved unions, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) strictly require for members.

A press release issued late last week by the company said, "Verizon continues to provide solid service on day five of a strike by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, answering customer’s calls, performing general customer service and responding to an increasing number of incidents of sabotage." 

Nevertheless, the press release said discussions were continuing between Verizon and the Communications Workers of America and the IBEW union representatives.