Labor unions and calling out sick on Black Friday: Verizon employees react to the 13,000-job cut plan

The response argued that calling in sick would only cause employees to lose their own commission. Instead of supporting those who were not being paid, the commenter suggested that the plan could easily backfire and turn the situation into one where no one ends up getting paid at all.What’s more, another user warned against potential legal consequences. The commenter said that organizing a walkout could be risky, as a company might use a sympathetic judge to identify the organizers and then take legal action, potentially forcing them to repay any resulting damages.

The call to unionize

There’s another Reddit thread, titled “Verizon Employees: Unionize” and it lays it all out.

A self-described fellow V-Teamer emphasized that Verizon‘s recent layoffs exposed how little protection employees have when cost-cutting decisions are made. Even essential, high-performing teams can be affected with minimal warning. They urged colleagues to unionize, not to fight the company, but to create a fair and stable workplace where employees have a voice.

According to them, unionizing would provide job security through consistent rules, seniority protections, redeployment opportunities, and mandatory notice before layoffs. It would increase transparency in corporate decisions, safeguard workloads after reductions, and ensure fair compensation and benefits.

Many Verizon employees are already represented by the Communications Workers of America, which covers wages, benefits, and working conditions. However, some corporate, tech, and field employees are not unionized, leaving them without formal protections or a voice in decisions.

What now?

All of this shows that Verizon‘s layoffs have caused more than just anger—they’ve revealed how little job security some employees feel they have.

From angry calls to skip work to discussions about unionizing, workers are clearly worried about fairness and having a say.

“Every part of the company will experience some level of change”, says Verizon CEO Dan Schulman in his recent memo. It’s obvious that such is the case, but workers don’t have much room for action, except to find solace in Schulman’s other statement: “We will have conversations with every affected employee to ensure they are treated with the utmost respect and care”.