Verizon's Network Faces Vandalism on Heels of Union Strike
Just as 45,000 of Verizon's (NYS: VZ) wireline union workers go on strike, the ILEC reported that it had to fix at least 12 issues in four of its Northeast states since Saturday and after the strike began on Sunday night.
Among the incidents were two instances of fiber cuts in the Bronx, Pomona, Farmingdale and Gilderland in New York, and stolen electronics in Cedar Grove, N.J. affected a local police department.
"These acts of sabotage are reprehensible," said Verizon Chief Security Officer Mike Mason. "In addition to inconveniencing our customers, these deliberate disruptions of our network have affected hospitals, paramedics, fire fighters, law enforcement and other first responders."
Despite these random incidents of damage on its network, the service provider is pushing ahead with its own continuity of operations plan.
Bob Mudge, Verizon president of consumer and mass markets, said that its "contingency plan is in full effect, and our management employees are stepping in to cover our workload."
This contingency plan leverages its management team, which can perform various duties such as network repairs, customer service, back office support and billing, to fill in for the workers who are on strike.
Since the strike began on Sunday, Verizon said that over 75 percent of the repair duties it had were completed and it was on track to keep up with other issues that will arise.
In addition to reports of network damage, Verizon said a number of picketers illegally prevented some of their managers from getting into their respective work centers and garages where they house trucks and related repair equipment.
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