About 39K Verizon workers strike amid contract dispute

About 39,000 Verizon landline and cable workers on the East Coast walked off the job April 13 after little progress in negotiations since their contract expired nearly eight months ago. The workers, members of two unions — the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — represent installers, customer service employees, repairmen and other service workers in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia and Washington (DC) for Verizon's wireline business, which provides fixed-line phone services and FiOS Internet service.

"We're on strike to maintain good jobs and maintain our standard of living," said Keith Purce, president of CWA Local 1101 which represents about 3,500 workers in Manhattan and the Bronx. Standing on a picket line in Manhattan with hundreds of union workers, Purce said they were prepared to stay out "as long as it takes." He said talks broke off during the week of April 4 and no new talks were scheduled. Verizon spokesman Rich Young said the company was very disappointed that union leadership has called a strike. He said it has trained thousands of non-union workers to fill in for striking workers and "we will be there for our customers." The workers' latest contract expired in August. Between 300 and 400 union members walked a picket line outside the company's office in downtown Albany, where workers set up an inflatable "greedy pig" and rat, said Mike Panzerino, treasurer of CWA Local 1118. "We're tired of fighting with the company," Panzerino said. "All we're asking for is a fair contract and they don't want to give it to us."