Projo Biz Blog

The local union that represents Verizon employees is telling its membership that management intends to lay off all of the company's 291 splice-service technicians in Rhode Island and Massachusetts who have been hired since August 2003.

However, company spokesman Phil Santoro said Wednesday morning that "layoff is the wrong word."

The company announced July 27 that it would be eliminating 8,000 jobs in the United States, but it hopes to avoid layoffs, Santoro said.

"Our employees will be offered severance packages, early retirement incentives -- very generous early retirement packages, among the best in the industry -- and we're hopeful to avoid layoffs," Santoro said.

"No one's being laid off, let's be clear about that," Santoro said. "There are no announcements for layoffs. ... These are job reductions. The employees who will be affected will be offered early retirement incentives and severance packages, and our hope is to avoid layoffs. We won't know anything about layoffs until the fall."

But Craig Duffy, the assistant business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union Local 2323, which represents Verizon's Rhode Island employees, said Verizon management told union leaders Tuesday that 72 Rhode Island employees and 219 Massachusetts employees will be laid off, although their last date of work is uncertain.

Duffy said company officials have provided a breakdown for how many New England employees have been declared "surplus" among those 8,000 nationwide. He said the company has declared 1,246 employees in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as "surplus" and 567 of those are splice-service technicians.

Verizon employees hired before August 2003 have a no-layoff clause in their contract, but those employed from that date forward do not, Duffy said.

Although the company has said it wants to reduce its number of employees by offering severance packages and early-retirement incentives, Duffy said management told union leaders Tuesday that enough employees are not expected to participate to meet the company's goal.

Santoro disputed the breakdown of the number of New England employees the company wants to reduce.

"We haven't announced any numbers other than the 8,000 number," he said.

 Tags  economy Verizon

---