FRAMINGHAM (08/11/2000) - The strike by 87,000 Verizon Communications employees hadn't had a demonstrable impact on corporate customers as of this week.
Typical of the comments made by information technology executives contacted by Computerworld, Carolyn Sitkiewicz, director of IT communications at Allstate Insurance Co. in Northbrook, Ill., said that while her company hadn't been affected, Allstate has a lot of long-term projects that involve Verizon, so she's watching the situation closely.
Meanwhile, Verizon announced an $800 million cash deal to merge its Digital Subscriber Line business with San Francisco-based NorthPoint Communications Group Inc. Analysts faulted the timing. "They're pleading poverty and [claim] they can't pay their employees another penny. Then they go out and buy another firm for $800 million in cash," said Carl Garland, an analyst at Current Analysis Inc. in Reston, Va.