As you know, Verizon is on strike as of this morning. Over the years, we have seen Verizon strikes that last hours, days, weeks and months. It’s hard to predict what will happen here. The issues that are holding up an agreement are not wages, but rather health care and pensions. Those are usually the more difficult issues to address in a negotiation. Given that Verizon’s revenue and future direction is weighted towards wireless where they do not employ union workers, they may be more reluctant to make concessions that would put them in an economic disadvantage. So, while we hope for a quick resolution, we have to prepare for a longer term dispute.
At ARG, this event is an opportunity for us to show our clients value. Throughout the industry, every shortcoming in the coming weeks will be blamed on the Verizon strike. Some of it will be true. Much of it will not. We don’t want to fall into that trap. We don’t want to blame issues on Verizon that aren’t theirs just because some provider said so. We don’t want to throw up our arms and convey that nothing can get done. Rather, we want to discern the truth. We want to come up with solutions and alternatives. We want to anticipate potential issues and delays. We want to listen to our clients and communicate frequently. We want to make a difference.
ARG’s project management team is evaluating all of our orders in process. They are identifying those with Verizon dependencies and are putting together all of the options that are not dependent on Verizon – cable, wireless, non-Verizon fiber, fixed wireless. As we work with clients who are concerned, we will bring those concerns to the team. Together, we will make a huge difference for our clients.
