Verizon-Frontier lobby day in West Virginia has strong impact

The folks at the capitol building in Charleston, West Virginia were seeing red last Wednesday – red shirts, that is.

On October 14, members of the Communications Workers of America and community supporters flooded Charleston to talk to their state representatives.

The topic: the proposed sale of Verizon’s landlines to Frontier Communications, and its impact on West Virginia’s economic development. About 75 CWA members who work for Verizon or Frontier participated.

Union members asked their state representatives to write to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to oppose the sale.

Morning speakers included State Treasurer John Perdue, CWA District Two Vice President Ron Collins, and Attorney General Darrell McGraw. For the first-timers, CWA Rep. Elaine Harris shared a few tips on how to be an effective grassroots lobbyist.

At lunch, Vice President Collins briefed the Labor Caucus about the possible effects of the Verizon-Frontier deal. Right after, everyone met with Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin, who enthusiastically signed a pledge card.

Collins said:

“Our financial analysts come up with different results than their financial analysts come up with. At the end of the day they’re going to be strapped with 8 billion dollars worth of debt. Their business model is they pay out in dividends more than they earn, and it doesn’t sustain itself.”

The highlight of the day was a Joint Committee meeting, where representatives from the PSC, Consumer Advocate Division, Verizon, Frontier, and CWA briefed legislators and answered questions about the deal.

From the union officials to the first-time supporters, everyone worked hard to convince their elected officials that the Verizon-Frontier sale is bad for West Virginia.

The legislators weren’t the only ones who noticed. The lobbying efforts were covered by the Charleston Gazette, WOWK-TV, MetroNews, WSAZ-TV, and WTRF-TV.

Lawmakers question proposed Verizon-Frontier deal (Charleston Gazette)

Sale Of Verizon To Frontier Communications Raising Some Concerns (WOWK-TV)

Can the Phone Companies Guarantee Job Security? (MetroNews)

Union Mobilizing Against Frontier Communications (WSAZ-TV)

Union Officials Say Verizon, Frontier Deal Bad for State (WTRF-TV)