Verizon strike over; negotiations continue

The Verizon Communications strike is over and employees will head back to work Monday night as contract negotiations continue.

The 45,000 striking workers -- 2,700 on Long Island -- will return to their jobs under the terms of their expired contract, both sides announced Saturday.

The employees, represented by Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, agreed to end the two-week strike to help contract negotiations move forward.

"It's been grueling. The pace of bargaining has been so slow," said George Bloom, president of CWA Local 1104. "But we feel pretty good where we are at right now."

Officials said they will continue to discuss health benefits, pensions and job security. Verizon has been seeking several concessions from the unions, claiming the company needs to stay competitive in an age when more customers are cutting landline service in favor of cellphones. Workers cite the company's $2.5 billion in profits last year.

No timeline for the continuing negotiations has been set. The company said the expired contracts will be extended with no specific deadline.

The labor battle involved landline workers in nine states from Massachusetts to Virginia. Days after the strike began Aug. 7, Verizon filed court papers alleging that picketing employees were blocking entryways to garages and taunting managers. On Thursday, a scuffle on the picket lines in Riverhead sent a union worker to the hospital and led to the arrest of a nonunion manager. The company also enlisted the FBI's help to investigate alleged incidents of sabotage at some of its network facilities nationally -- acts that the union denounced.

This past week, Verizon also threatened to suspend medical benefits for all workers still on strike at the end of the month.

"We remain committed to our objectives, and we look forward to negotiating the important issues that are integral to the future health of Verizon's wireline business," Marc Reed, Verizon's executive vice president of human resources, said in a statement.

Verizon field technician Steve Cirillo, 34, of Copiague, Saturday said he's relieved the 14-hour picketing shifts are over.

"No one wants to go out on strike. No one wants to live without a paycheck," said Cirillo, whose wife just had a baby girl. "But when they try to take away medical, pension and job security, we have to take a stand."

With employees back at work, Verizon plans to quickly address any backlog in repairs and unfulfilled requests for service, the company said.

Verizon workers last went on strike in 2000. That walkout lasted 18 days and cost the company $40 million.