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Stand up to Verizon with CWA & IBEW (UPDATED)

Stand up to Verizon with CWA & IBEW (UPDATED)

Since April 13, nearly 40,000 Verizon employees represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States have been on strike after the parties failed to reach a new joint collective-bargaining agreement to replace a three-year pact that expired last August.

“We’ve been bargaining with Verizon now for almost a year,” CWA President Christopher Shelton said. “Nobody wants to go on strike. It’s a hardship for our members and their families. It’s a hardship for customers who face delay in scheduling repairs and getting service. It’s tough on communities.”

IBEW President Lonnie Stephenson agreed. “Verizon—this immensely profitable company—is putting the squeeze on hardworking men and women who just want to come to work, do their jobs and be treated fairly,” he said.

Among the telecom giant’s demands are sweeping health care and pension cuts, further outsourcing of jobs (to Mexico and the Philippines) and the unfettered ability to force service technicians to commute hours away from their homes—or even to work out of state for months at a time. Also, nearly 80,000 Verizon retirees would be affected if the company is successful in its attempts to force them to pay more for health care.

“Verizon made $39 billion in profits over the last three years,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said, “but is unwilling to provide job security, better benefits and safe working conditions.

“This strike is about doing what is right for everyday working people—not corporate interests,” Trumka said. “We call on Verizon to bargain in good faith and work with unions to create a fair and equal contract that stands up for working people rather than corporate greed.”

What you can do to support the strikers

If you are interested in connecting with local efforts to stand in solidarity with CWA and IBEW, visit standuptoverizon.com.