Recent Verizon strike 2016 rumors claimed that the company is in dire need of temporary workers. This comes after nearly 40,000 employees walked off their jobs last Apr. 13.
Motherboard reported that the company has announced an urgent call for temporary employees as the Verizon strike 2016 continues on its seventh week. It has put up ads for Temporary Service Technicians for Massachusetts, New York and Virginia, among others.
"Verizon is hiring full-time temporary Technicians to replace those employees who are on strike," the company wrote in a job post. "Technicians are the people who keep our fiber-optic network rolling."
"Develop your skills and gain hands-on experience. You'll be out and about in the neighborhoods we serve, installing, testing, repairing and maintaining the technology that keeps millions of customers connected."
The Verizon strike 2016 began last month when about 40,000 workers protested the terms of the new contract given by the company. They are being represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
The protesters argued that Verizon wants to freeze pensions, slash benefits as well as outsource their jobs to Mexico, Philippines and India. Unions also claimed that the telecommunications company has refused to improve wages, benefits and working conditions.
According to Montclair Patch, union leaders emphasized that the average salary of Verizon strike 2016 participants is about $74,000 a year. This is far off from the company's claim of more than $130,000 a year.
As the Verizon strike 2016 escalates, the company is aggressively looking for temporary workers to repair pole attachments, customer equipment and phones. There are service interruptions also need to be solved.
"Verizon's attempt to hire thousands of scabs is an assault on the middle class," Dan Cantor, national director of the Working Families Party, told the publication by email. "The company is tremendously profitable, but they want to carve more away from working people, just because they can. It's unacceptable."
