Verizon says it can handle customers' needs in the event of a strike. In New Jersey, two rallies are already in the works for Livingston and Robbinsville. Watch video
Verizon unions have set a strike deadline with the telecom giant after their months-long negotiations over new contracts have come to a standstill.
The strike is set for Wednesday at 6 a.m., which would leave about 40,000 Verizon Communication Inc. employees idle. In New Jersey, two rallies are already in the works for Livingston and Robbinsville that morning.
The employees, who mainly make up Verizon's landline phone and internet department from Massachusetts to Virginia, say they are seeking a "fair agreement" after their previous contract expired in August. The unions are looking to improve pension benefits and prevent outsourcing to Mexico and Philippines, creating job security for customer service workers.
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"For months and months, we've made every effort to reach a fair agreement at the bargaining table," said Myles Calvey, a union representative in New England. "We've offered Verizon hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings and yet they still refuse to provide basic job security for workers."
But Verizon says it needs to make "critical changes" to legacy contracts to preserve jobs with about 36,000 employees in current contract negations each costing the company more than $130,000 per year in wages and benefits.
Shortly after the unions set the mid-week deadline on Monday, Verizon issued a release stating the company's commitment to the on-going negotiations.
"We've tried to work with union leaders to reach a deal," Verizon's chief administrative officer Marc Reed said in a statement. "Verizon has been moving the bargaining process forward, but now union leaders would rather make strike threats than constructively engage at the bargaining table."
However, if a deal is not struck, Verizon said it's prepared to handle customers' needs.
A strike could lead to prolonged outages and customer service delays in New Jersey, according to Candice Johnson, a spokeswoman at Communications Workers of America, the union which represents roughly 1,000 Verizon workers in the Garden State.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents the majority of the workers in state, 500 in call centers and customers service and 3,300 in technical services, according to union spokesman Mark Brueggenjohann.
Verizon, which is seeking to cut its $3.2 billion annual healthcare costs, is proposing to a 6.5 percent wage increase, 401K with company match and healthcare coverage that currently covers the other 130,000 of its U.S. employees.
The New Jersey rallies are slated for 6 a.m. at 290 West Mt. Pleasant Ave. in Livingston, and 600 Horizon Drive in Robbinsville, according to unions.
In 2011, thousands of Verizon workers in New Jersey went on strike after the two sides failed to reach a contract agreement.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.