Steven Murphy: 450 Providence jobs are at risk

Imagine if news broke that a major corporation was going to send 450 good-paying Rhode Island jobs overseas. This corporation also happens to be one of the most profitable in the United States.   

Our politicians would point fingers. Citizens would shake their heads about the outsourcing of America. More working people would be scrambling to find ways to support their loved ones.   

That’s a scenario we’ve seen too often in Rhode Island, but it’s just what Verizon executives want to do. It’s a big reason why the members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2323, which I proudly represent, are on strike against Verizon, along with nearly 39,000 other IBEW and Communications Workers of America members up and down the East Coast.   

Verizon currently employs 450 of our members at its call center in Providence. They’re good jobs. Our members work hard and earn enough to raise a family and give their children and others counting on them a better life.   They are the first voice the customer hears if he or she has a concern or question. It’s a highly technical job where employees often must diagnose and fix complex problems during the course of a call.   

But Verizon is pushing us to accept a proposal that encourages the outsourcing of these jobs to one of its many overseas call centers in the Philippines, Costa Rica, Mexico, India and the Dominican Republic.   

We also represent 400 wireline installation, repair technicians and clerical workers who are facing similar challenges. Verizon is proposing to send technicians hours away from their homes for work, where they could be assigned for up to two months or more.   There are three things to keep in mind when it comes to Verizon’s spin.   

First, we’ve already shown a willingness to compromise. We’ve agreed to millions of dollars of givebacks during current negotiations when it comes to health insurance, yet Verizon wants to add up to $300 per month in health-care costs for 80,000 retirees living on a fixed income.   

Second, Verizon is wildly successful. It ranks 15th on the Fortune 500. It makes nearly $1.8 billion in profit per month. You read that right. That isn’t revenue, it’s profit. Adding insult to injury, CEO Lowell McAdam earns $18.6 million dollars per year. For perspective, that is $8,600 per hour.   

Third, Verizon gets enormous breaks in our complicated tax system. Research by Citizens for Tax Justice found that Verizon’s average federal tax rate during the last 15 years is 12.4 percent. It paid no federal taxes during five of those years, tax revenue that could be invested here in Rhode Island.   

Instead of taking its enormous profits and partnering with the communities it serves, Verizon is trying to reward its executives and stockholders on the backs of its employees.   

Unlike Verizon, we are part of the community. We are your neighbors, and our children attend the same schools and events. Our wish is to keep our jobs in the community in which we live.   

So please, tell Verizon to sit down and negotiate in good faith. Let your elected officials know you’re disgusted with Verizon’s actions.   

It not only will help our members, but all of Rhode Island’s working families. It’s time to stand up to corporate greed.   We’re thankful for your support. We look forward to getting back to work and serving you.  

 —Steven Murphy is the business manager of IBEW Local 2323.