Retiree health care is a major issue. At the start of 2026, Verizon retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare face huge increases in their health care premiums. Verizon has not hired much over the past 20 years, as technological changes - including the move to fiber optics and wireless - have dramatically reduced the workforce. Most remaining workers are retirement-eligible, with either 30 years of service or a combined 75 years of service plus age.
President Trump is wading into the brewing labor dispute between the Long Island Rail Road and its labor unions, announcing today the formation of an "emergency board" to " investigate " the conflict. The presidential intervention heads off, for now, a strike, and comes at a time when Republicans are making an effort to forge closer ties with labor unions - worthy goals, to be sure.