Verizon Strike Ends

W A S H I N G T O N, Aug. 24 -- With the last of its union employees returningto work, Verizon Communications can now turn to dealing withconsumers frustrated by delayed repairs and unfilled orders for newservice.

The phone giant estimates it will take a month to clear 230,000such requests that piled up over the 18-day strike.

Verizon, the nation’s largest local phone company and wirelessbusiness, reached agreement with union negotiators late Wednesdayon a tentative contract for 35,000 workers in six mid-Atlanticstates and the District of Columbia.

About 50,000 other workers in New York and New England settledtheir contracts last e weekend and returned to the job Monday. Somein New York stayed off the job Wednesday, honoring picket lines setup by striking workers from the mid-Atlantic region.

Settlement Praised

Union leaders say workers will return to their jobs with new jobprotections.

“This settlement secures the future for our members at thiscompany, and it also helps sharpen Vernon’s competitive edge,”said Communications Workers of America President Morton Bahr. “Inmany ways, it gives our members the ability to do their job evenbetter.”

Verizon officials said the offer was substantially the same asone that was on the table days ago, with the cost of the totalpackage for all union employees unchanged. While still protectingthe interests of workers, the contract enables the company to stayahead in a robust telecommunications market, the company said.

The agreement “gives us the flexibility we need to compete inthe Internet era, satisfying the company’s need to manage theworkload while meeting customer demands for outstanding service andaccess to the latest technology,” said Lawrence T. Babbio Jr.,Verizon vice chairman and president.

The settlement with employees in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District ofColumbia meant that all workers would be back at their jobsThursday. Company officials say they can focus attention on the63,000 repair requests and 200,000 orders that have accumulatedsince the strike began Aug. 6.