Verizon Lawyers, Accountants Are Installing FiOS During Strike We've already noted that the Verizon Strike has had a notable impact on installation and repairs for Verizon customers. Many users continue to complain that the company simply isn't showing up for installation appointments, as an estimated 40,000 union workers walk the picket line in protest. As it stands, the two sides have been negotiating since June of last year, and workers had been working without a contract in place since last August. Judging from comments from both sides, not much ground has been gained since the strike began on April 13.

quote: Everyone from lawyers to accountants to programmers are pulled out to work. Staff with engineering or technical skills are slotted into jobs where they’ve had experience. Those without relevant technical skills typically field phones in call centers. Courtney George, 24, is trained as a network engineer and normally works in a beige cubicle in a Verizon office in downtown Manhattan. But this week she is installing fiber-optic cabling with Mr. Russell. “I like being out and being more customer facing,” she said of her temporary assignment. “You learn the other side of the business.” According to Verizon, the company started putting its more administrative employees through basic installer and support training after the last major strike in 2011: quote: Verizon overhauled its training process after the last strike, which lasted two weeks in 2011. This time, it organized about 10,000 substitutes into work groups ahead of time and sent them to a newly established training facility in Leesburg, Va., for training lasting one to two weeks.“We put them through training as if they were going to become technicians,” said Bob Mudge, president of Verizon’s wireline network operations. Those filling in for call center employees honed their skills by listening to recordings of customer calls. While lawyers, network admins and accountants might think it a refreshing change of pace to be actually installing broadband, it's likely the charm of the situation will wear off quickly should contract negotiations continue to flounder. Verizon appears to have convinced the Washington Post that technological advancements are helping Verizon weather the storm, though the Wall Street Journal notes that it's something fundamentally simpler; the company is having its cubicle jockeys, accountants and lawyers run fiber conduit:According to Verizon, the company started putting its more administrative employees through basic installer and support training after the last major strike in 2011:While lawyers, network admins and accountants might think it a refreshing change of pace to be actually installing broadband, it's likely the charm of the situation will wear off quickly should contract negotiations continue to flounder.







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Most recommended from 66 comments



kdwycha

join:2003-01-30

Ruskin, FL 47 recommendations kdwycha Member Well Arighty! Is this likely what the ONT looks like after these lawyers complete an installation?

PoloDude

Premium Member

join:2006-03-29

Aiken, SC 21 recommendations PoloDude Premium Member Just wait till the "Charm" of being out in the field wears off. In 2 weeks they will be begging to go back to their cubicles. They should be very thankful that the weather is nice right now. mdurkin

join:1999-08-11

San Bruno, CA 19 recommendations mdurkin Member Let us know... Let us know if your installer shows up with a notary public and wants you to sign and have notarized a mandatory arbitration clause.

camper

just visiting this planet

Premium Member

join:2010-03-21

Bethel, CT 16 recommendations camper Premium Member "Everyone from lawyers to accountants to programmers are pulled out to work"

What could possibly go wrong?

Red Hazard

Premium Member

join:2012-07-21

O Fallon, IL ·Charter

·VOIPO

13 recommendations Red Hazard Premium Member 2 Weeks of Training? After basic training the Army sent me to 31 weeks of technical training (Fixed Station Transmitter Repair and Technical Controller courses). Years later I was sent to an Installer Course that was, IIRC, 10 weeks long. No wonder VZ has so many problems.

Zenit

The system is the solution

Premium Member

join:2012-05-07

Purcellville, VA 4 edits 10 recommendations Zenit Premium Member Leesburg?



The CO is rather large, given that it used to house electromechancial switching gear decades ago, and it was also an AT&T long lines microwave relay. Today the CO provides FiOS service to most of its footprint.



It is the main central office for Loudoun County, hosting the main 5ESS that the Purcellville, Ashburn, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Bluemont, Waterford and Upperville CO's 5ESS RSM's connect to. Sterling CO has its own full 5ESS.



It's possible VZ has added classrooms in the empty CO space, as the current equipment cannot possibly fill up the whole building.













EDIT:



An anon user reported that Verizon is actually using the National Conference Center in Leesburg. I did not think of this originally...seems like it should have been the obvious place!



»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th ··· e_Center



The NCC is on the outskirts of Leesburg. Used to be a Xerox training facility/resort. EDIT:An anon user reported that Verizon is actually using the National Conference Center in Leesburg. I did not think of this originally...seems like it should have been the obvious place!The NCC is on the outskirts of Leesburg. Used to be a Xerox training facility/resort. I had no clue VZ had a training facility in Leesburg. Its really close to me and I know the town well.The CO is rather large, given that it used to house electromechancial switching gear decades ago, and it was also an AT&T long lines microwave relay. Today the CO provides FiOS service to most of its footprint.It is the main central office for Loudoun County, hosting the main 5ESS that the Purcellville, Ashburn, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Bluemont, Waterford and Upperville CO's 5ESS RSM's connect to. Sterling CO has its own full 5ESS.It's possible VZ has added classrooms in the empty CO space, as the current equipment cannot possibly fill up the whole building.

MatthewW

join:2014-08-27

Beloit, OH 8 recommendations MatthewW Member Training If Verizon trained their cubicle workforce the right way by making them work their way up in the company they won't have a mess later for the people who are currently on strike.

xpbx

No Compassion

Premium Member

join:2000-11-08

Errington, BC 3 recommendations xpbx Premium Member all that charm washes off in the first storm. the company provided rain gear sucks btw. i hope you lawyers see the irony now that youre the ones being fucked over. bet your sweet ass you wont find lowell mcwireless or fran shamwow hanging off a pole.

tigerpaw509

join:2011-01-19 2 recommendations tigerpaw509 Member Training Training is most likely online stuff,complete the course and you're trained,in the real world not so much.