Winner of Great Place To Work Honors Offers Work-Life Balance Programs For Growing Southern California Work Force

IRVINE, CA — With rising medical costs, soaring gas prices and worries about the economy, its no surprise that a recent study by the American Psychological Association shows that money and work are the main stressors for nearly 75 percent of Americans. Verizon Wireless, winner of a Workplace Excellence award from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence, knows work-life balance programs are the keys to hiring and retaining top talent.

"We're proud to offer unique benefits beyond the basics of health, dental and vision insurance, and know our programs are contributing to our growth," says Verizon Wireless director of Human Resources, Christina Brysacz. "And for those interested in joining our team, we're holding three local job fairs in April."

Some of the creative benefits Verizon Wireless employees enjoy include:

• Education Reimbursement Program encourages employees to further education and helps lessen the burden of paying for school and working simultaneously
• Annual Winter open house invites families to get together on the Verizon Wireless campus and play games together, show off their children's art and mingle with one another
• The Verizon Foundation offers scholarships to employees' children for education
• Volunteer matching program will donate $750 to a non-profit organization of the employee's choosing for time spent volunteering
• An additional $1500 in pay to bilingual employees in key sales and customer service jobs.

At larger locations, like the company's Irvine, California campus, the company also offers:

• On-site health club with affordable dues and bathrobes for members
• Dietician-approved healthy lunches in the cafeteria to help employees maintain optimum health

Verizon Wireless holds regular open house career days with on-the-spot interviews in its never ending search for the next excellent Verizon Wireless employee. Upcoming job fairs in southern California are taking place at:

• Woodland Hills Marriott from 10am to 2pm on April 11, 2008
• Verizon Wireless headquarters in Irvine from 10am to 2pm on April 18, 2008 and April 25, 2008.

"As a family friendly employer," said Brysacz, "Verizon Wireless recognizes the importance of family and the value of maintaining a successful work/life balance. Our company's time off guidelines reflect this philosophy and include flexibility."

For seven consecutive years, Verizon Wireless has been honored as a "Working Mother 100 Best Company" by Working Mother magazine. In 2007, Verizon Wireless was the only wireless company recognized and was praised for the company's job flexibility and advancement opportunities for working mothers.

Verizon Wireless was also named among the "50 Best Companies for Diversity" by DiversityBusiness.Com. Over forty-four percent of Verizon Wireless employees in southern California are of Hispanic descent, demonstrating the company's commitment to workplace diversity. Additionally, Verizon Wireless offers differential pay for bilingual employees to encourage bilingual individuals to apply for employment and eliminate language barriers for customers.

For more information, please contact a Verizon Wireless representative or visit www.verizonwireless.com/careers for a full listing of open career opportunities and job fair locations.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 65.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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