As promised, Verizon and unions met with Labor Secretary Tom Perez in Washington on Tuesday to restart talks to end the current strike that’s dragged on more than a month. It was announced that Allison Beck, a federal mediator, will assist in the ongoing contract negotiations.
“The parties further agreed that during these talks they will make no public statements, nor will there be comments from the federal officials involved,” the U.S. Department of Labor reports in a statement.
Talks broke down around the end of April between Verizon, CWA and IBEW as the company made what it called a “best and final” offer to the unions. CWA dubbed the proposals “callous.” Negotiations revolving around healthcare coverage, pensions and the outsourcing of call center jobs outside the U.S. have been some of the main points of contention.
“I’m encouraged by the parties’ continued commitment to remain at the bargaining table and work toward a resolution,” Secretary Perez says. “We will continue to facilitate conversations to help the unions and the company reach an agreement.”