CWA union workers go to the FCC to against Verizon's cable deal
A group of Verizon (NYSE: VZ) employees represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union will gather in front of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) building today to protest Verizon Wireless' proposed co-marketing and services deal with cable operators.
Last year, Verizon Wireless proposed a deal to co-market and resell cable video services with a number of the largest cable operators, including Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) , Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Cox.
Critics of the deal--including the CWA, some lawmakers, and local community leaders--argue it would not only hurt competition and raise service prices, but also put a number of workers out of a job.
The CWA said union representatives will meet with the FCC to talk about their concerns over the joint cable/Verizon Wireless proposal and urge them "to impose conditions on the deal to ensure it is in the public interest." In addition, affected union workers will attend to talk about how the proposal could impact jobs.
The CWA, of course, is not the only group that's been outspoken about Verizon's cable agreement.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), wrote a letter to the FCC saying that he believes the pact raises competitive concerns. Likewise, a group of mayors in upstate New York expressed their frustration that the service provider is ignoring their call to bring FiOS service to their respective cities and the cable deal will just ensure they will never get the service.
This latest rally at the FCC headquarters comes as both the CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Verizon have still yet to finalize a labor contract with the telco.