Honest answers only please. I've heard things like "we built this company" and "they owe it to us", but I haven't seen any other real answers.
I've been with the company for 20 years now and know of a great number of people who have "Built the Company" but who don't have the same expectations that the union as a whole does.
Lets be honest.. We've all worked hard to make the company what it is today and most of us are quite proud of that fact. Reading this board you'd think that the company is so hated by the union that if they're allowed back at work that all the union members will be working hard to destroy the company. I understand that during a strike emotions are high and the rhetoric is deep but I can't shake the feeling that there is some truth to the hate for the company here.
The company has treated you well for a number of years and instead of dumping you to the curb while the copper network died, it gave you another job. Fios. But back to the question.. Why do you deserve a contract that has benefits better than most of the rest of the company? Yes, you generate income but it's just a small fraction of what the rest of the company pulls in.