I keep watching these boards to see how, if anything has changed since I was laid off a few years back. As a current unionized AT&T employee, I can say without any hesitation that VZW reps NEED a union.
I used to think it was goofy, and unnecessary, but now 3 years in I think differently. The whole thing actually does help the rep who would otherwise be getting screwed by corporate. Sure, you don’t have any real control over quotas, and sure there are the BS side by sides and passive aggressive coachings from managers who are more concerned with looking good on zoom meetings and metrics charts than running a functional business…BUT…
Everyone comes to work every day knowing what the union rules are, and how far things can go. The union rules dictate everything, meaning you never have to guess what this policy or that policy is, and nobody can/will come after you for exploiting the rules to your benefit because everyone knows the company does the same thing themselves, which (shocker) is common for negotiated terms. “Look out for number 1” is the expected approach.
Also, everything is much more stable. Nothing is decided by favorites. It’s all dictated by seniority and ironclad rules.
Sure, there is a ton of BS at AT&T just like there is at Verizon but, when the layoffs come calling at AT&T, they are REQUIRED to offer you another position, unlike VZWs latest dump which was “you can apply, but you’re on your own.”
And the commission structure is better, thanks to the Union. We get paid based on product, not percentages. Everything counts for something. In real dollars. Surveys don’t impact your pay.
I’m not saying jump ship to AT&T, not really, but I am saying that if you all were to UNIONIZE, and even get half the structure we have at AT&T, you all will be MUCH happier, secure, and probably make more money.
And it will ruin KB and Hans’ year, so there is that too :)