According to a Verizon executive, the strike conducted by almost 40,000 company workers have caused delays in the equipment installation for new TV and internet customers.
Verizon workers from network technicians to customer service personnel went on strike last Wednesday in what is billed as the biggest U.S. strike in recent years. They walked off from work when contract negotiations between the company and union representatives hit an impasse.
During the strike, the telecom giant was forced to focus on repairs and services for its present customers. In this regard, the company's networks were running well.
"We do have a bit of a delay," said Tami Erwin, Verizon's Group President - Consumer and Mass Business Sales and Service.
"We're working hard with customers to prioritize repair above activations and provisioning because we owe that to our existing customers," he added.
During normal operations, the company has around 30,000 to 35,000 new installations every week, with more than 30 percent of customers choosing to install their equipment. A week or two after the strike, Verizon should be able to continue doing new installations.
One day after the strike, a handful of customers lodged their complaints on the company's customer service website under its no-show after scheduled installation appointment and internet outages.
The strike affected Verizon's service across many U.S. East Coast states, including Virginia, Massachusetts and New York. However, it did not affect its wireless operations.
In preparation for these unforeseen events, Verizon has trained thousands of non-union workers to maintain the company's services. However, the unions stated correctly that these replacement workers lack the necessary expertise in performing highly technical tasks like installing high-tech equipment.
According to Bob Mudge, company president for wireline network operations, Verizon has deployed around 20,000 of non-union workers to take the slack left by the striking workers.
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