Verizon Strike Continues, Parties at Odds

The strike by 39,000 Verizon employees continues. Employees represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) walked off the job on April 13.

On April 28, Verizon presented union official with an updated proposal for about 36,000 wireline employees in the company’s Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The new proposal offered to increase wages by 7.5 percent over the term of the contract, among other terms.

A day later, Verizon said it is deploying thousands of additional employees and contractors to serve its customers during the strike. The replacement workers include contractors who are currently enrolled or have recently graduated from the company’s technical training classes in Virginia.

In response, the CWA noted that Verizon intends to cut off benefits for 108,000 striking workers and family members effective May 1st, despite the fact that Verizon made $18 billion in profits over the last 18 months and paid its top executives $249 million over the last 5 years. The union also posted materials labeling top Verizon execs as "The Greedy Bunch."

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