Talks continue as Verizon strike deadline nears

The threat of a strike starting Sunday by nearly 40,000 Verizon workers in nine states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, remained acute Saturday as a settlement remained elusive between the telecom giant and two of its unions.

The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers exchanged new proposals Friday and Saturday with the telecom giant, but with no immediate resolution in sight. Their contracts were to expire at midnight.

"We remain far apart, but we're willing to continue to meet to get to an agreement," Harry Mitchell, a Verizon spokesman, said late Saturday night.

Earlier that evening, the bargaining committee representing roughly 3,800 of Verizon's employees in the Philadelphia area had seen no substantive movement from Verizon, the union said in a statement.

"The company hasn't moved off its initial June 22d proposal that made outrageous demands of Verizon workers," said Ed Mooney, president for CWA District 2-13, which represents Verizon workers from Pennsylvania to Virginia. "If this company is serious about reaching an agreement, it needs to start bargaining constructively and now."

Talks could continue past the deadline, officials from both sides had said. The unions also could agree to work without a contract.

Both sides were grappling with the benefits Verizon would provide for union members who work for its wire-line business, which provides services for landline phones and FiOS Internet. Labor leaders said last week that 86 percent of its Verizon workers covered by the contract voted to strike.

Employees in Verizon's wireless unit were not affected. The company said none of its services would be disrupted if a strike happened.

The two sides have negotiated for seven weeks. Union officials said Verizon planned to eliminate job security, raise workers' health-care costs, and slash retirement benefits.

The company, in a statement, said it had offered a "solid wage increase" to offset other costs. Verizon said a union counterproposal last week called for a potential 19 days off in addition to the current paid vacation time of up to five weeks.

Both sides reported little progress in the week leading up to the deadline. The unions went on strike for two weeks in 2011, the last time the contract was negotiated.

Verizon said Friday it was prepared to continue its services even in the event of a work stoppage. The company has trained thousands of nonunion employees to provide network, sales, and customer-service work.

"In a highly competitive marketplace, we are working hard to position Verizon's wireline unit on a path towards success," Marc Reed, Verizon's chief administrative officer, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the unions' current proposals fall short of that goal."

As more people ditch their landline phones, the unions are seeking a commitment from Verizon to expand its FiOS Internet service to ensure job security in the company's fading wire-line business.

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Inquirer staff writer Maria Panaritis contributed to this article.