Verizon Makes Its Strike Case in Ad Buys

Verizon bought full-page ads in six East Coast newspapers, including the A section of the Washington Post, Sunday (April 17) to make its case in the ongoing contract battle with CWA-IBEW-represented wireline workers--including FiOS--who went on strike last week.

A Verizon spokesperson said the ads were bought in Boston. Philly, New York, and New Jersey (Star Ledger).

The two-page ad begins with the message "You Remain our top Priority," telling its customers that while it is facing "the impact" of a strike, they are "there" for their customers. The second page of the ad is headlined "What's there to strike about."

Verizon says it is offering "outstanding" compensation and benefits (an average package worth $130,000 per year), including "high-quality" healthcare, "exceptional" retirement and "numerous" perks.

"We are doing our part, "says Verizon. "Now it's time for union leadership to do the same. They need to strike a deal."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.