https://socialistaction.org/2016/05/09/verizon-workers-fight-corporate-greed/
Verizon workers fight corporate greed
/ 24 hours ago
May 2016 VerizonBy MIKE PINHO and BILL ONASCH
On April 13, nearly 40,000 Verizon workers on the East Coast, from Maine
to Virginia, walked off the job. In the largest U.S. strike in five
years, workers from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) walked out in
response to the concessions that telecom giant Verizon has been demanding.
Workers have been without a contract for the past 11 months. The unions
offered some concessions on health-care costs, but the company wasn’t
appeased, still not budging on numerous drastic take-aways.
Verizon is demanding cuts to workers’ health care, freezing pension
benefits at 30 years, and outsourcing call-center jobs to non-union,
low-wage places such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the
Philippines. The company is also seeking the ability to send field techs
out of their home states for up to two months at a time. This would
place additional strain on families who are already feeling the daily
pressures of life in capitalist society, where the ruling 1% aims to
slash funding for social services and schools.
Verizon claims that concessions would save money in the company’s
declining land-line sector. The company, like AT&T, has encouraged
customers to switch to less labor-intensive and largely non-union
wireless service. There is little doubt that eventually, amidst a
shrinking customer base, Verizon hopes to abandon land-line operation
entirely.
At the same time, Verizon has been unwilling to negotiate a first
equitable contract for its wireless retail-store workers. The retail
workers are some of the company’s lowest paid employees, even though in
2015 the company raked in more than $18 billion in profits—paying its
CEO Lowell McAdam $18 million and an additional $230 million to other
top executives. The company has also invested $5 billion on share
repurchasing, by buying its own stock and then jacking up the price to
increase profitability.
Fortune magazine ran a story headlined “Verizon Brand Takes a Hit With
Consumers As Strike Drags On.” Verizon started alleging that union
sabotage was responsible for glitches in service. This was likely an
exaggeration, if not an outright lie, to cover up incompetence of
management and “temporary replacement” scabs who were attempting to do
strikers’ work.
On the 15th day of the strike, the company made their “last, best and
final offer.” Their wage proposal was improved to 7.5 percent over the
life of the contract. But they wouldn’t move on issues like lengthy
out-of-town transfers, or limits on outsourcing—or even on offshoring of
bargaining unit work. The offer was rejected without scheduling any
further palaver.
Strikers have received an outpouring of support in many local
communities. One CWA worker from Local 1051 in Springfield, Mass.,
stated that they’ve received a much stronger expression of support from
people passing by the picket line than they had on their 2011 strike.
The two unions have mobilized impressive demonstrations of thousands of
members and allies in several cities. In an afternoon rally that took
place on of the day of the walkout, about 8000 workers marched in the
streets of New York City. They were joined by Democratic Party
presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton at different
times. Both candidates gave lip service in support of the striking
workers, although it should come as no surprise that the Wall
Street-backed Clinton has had close ties with Verizon in the past, even
receiving a $225,000 honorarium for a speech given in 2013.
Senator Sanders paid a visit to a wireless retail store in Brooklyn,
where he addressed a crowd of about 150 workers. As his campaign rallies
have swelled into the tens of thousands, however, Sanders has failed to
use them as a forum to rally solidarity with the strike and to call on
his supporters to join the workers on the picket line.
Although the Democratic Party has claimed to be the friend of organized
labor, it has frequently acted to snuff out working-class struggles. As
far back as 1941, for example, “New Deal” President Roosevelt broke the
75-day Allis-Chalmers strike by sending in the National Guard to smash
the pickets.
A more modern example of betrayal of the labor movement by the Democrats
can be found in Chicago. On April 1, nearly 20,000 CTU teachers and
supporters gathered to fight austerity measures put forth by Republican
Governor Bruce Rauner and Democratic Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to privatize
schools, break unions, and cut desperately needed social services.
A few days later, in Connecticut, nearly 1000 marched to oppose $900
million in cuts proposed by Democratic Gov. Daniel P. Malloy. In a state
with one of the highest wealth gaps between the richest 1% and the 99%,
it’s obvious that such cuts would affect the most vulnerable people in
the state. Many social services would be without funding, schools would
be closed, and 2000 state employees would find themselves unemployed.
And all the while, no taxes would be increased on the rich.
In an era when walkouts of 39,000 are seldom seen, and the labor
movement struggles to gain footing after decades of union busting by
both the Democratic and the Republican wings of the ruling class, the
battle being waged by the workers of the CWA and IBEW must be admired. A
victory for the workers of Verizon would be momentous for the labor
movement and an inspiration for workers not only in the U.S. but worldwide.
At our press deadline, May 5, the unions have asked for support as they
expand picketing and demonstrations at Verizon stores nationwide.
Verizon workers need and deserve active solidarity from the entire labor
movement in what will likely be a bitter battle.
Photo: Marty Goodman / Socialist Action
Share this:
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
1Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)1
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
May 9, 2016 in Connecticut, Labor, Uncategorized. Tags: CWA, Democratic
Party, Sanders, Verizon
Related posts
Verizon workers go back to work without a settlement
SK Hand Tool Workers Strike
Partial Victory for Boston Janitors
Post navigation
← Students, staff protest cuts at Chicago State
Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month May 2016 (3) April 2016 (12) March
2016 (14) February 2016 (8) January 2016 (11) December 2015 (11)
November 2015 (9) October 2015 (8) September 2015 (10) August 2015
(7) July 2015 (13) June 2015 (9) May 2015 (10) April 2015 (12) March
2015 (9) February 2015 (11) January 2015 (10) December 2014 (12)
November 2014 (11) October 2014 (9) September 2014 (6) August 2014
(10) July 2014 (11) June 2014 (10) May 2014 (11) April 2014 (10)
March 2014 (9) February 2014 (11) January 2014 (11) December 2013
(10) November 2013 (11) October 2013 (17) September 2013 (13) August
2013 (10) July 2013 (11) June 2013 (15) May 2013 (14) April 2013
(14) March 2013 (12) February 2013 (10) January 2013 (17) December
2012 (7) November 2012 (8) October 2012 (19) September 2012 (2)
August 2012 (27) July 2012 (18) June 2012 (3) May 2012 (19) April
2012 (14) March 2012 (17) February 2012 (19) January 2012 (17)
December 2011 (3) November 2011 (33) October 2011 (14) September
2011 (13) August 2011 (34) July 2011 (24) June 2011 (19) May 2011
(19) April 2011 (15) March 2011 (15) February 2011 (16) January 2011
(15) December 2010 (17) November 2010 (1) October 2010 (6) September
2010 (3) August 2010 (8) July 2010 (7) June 2010 (2) May 2010 (9)
April 2010 (3) March 2010 (8) February 2010 (3) January 2010 (9)
December 2009 (6) November 2009 (5) October 2009 (16) September 2009
(3) August 2009 (2) July 2009 (5) June 2009 (2) May 2009 (7) April
2009 (6) March 2009 (16) February 2009 (9) January 2009 (10) December
2008 (11) November 2008 (8) October 2008 (16) September 2008 (14)
August 2008 (18) July 2008 (12) June 2008 (3) May 2008 (2) April
2008 (3) March 2008 (14) February 2008 (11) January 2008 (11)
December 2007 (8) November 2007 (1) July 2007 (1) June 2007 (1)
April 2007 (1) March 2007 (1) February 2007 (3) December 2006 (11)
November 2006 (11) October 2006 (13) September 2006 (15) August 2006
(11) July 2006 (18) June 2006 (7) May 2006 (14) April 2006 (6) March
2006 (14) February 2006 (5) January 2006 (2) December 2005 (9)
November 2005 (8) October 2005 (13) September 2005 (12) August 2005
(9) July 2005 (16) June 2005 (16) May 2005 (16) April 2005 (12)
March 2005 (14) February 2005 (19) January 2005 (15) December 2004
(14) November 2002 (17) October 2002 (19) September 2002 (22) August
2002 (21) July 2002 (15) May 2002 (21) April 2002 (21) February
2002 (15) January 2002 (15) December 2001 (17) October 2001 (24)
September 2001 (18) July 2001 (19) June 2001 (18) October 2000 (17)
September 2000 (21) August 2000 (19) July 2000 (16) June 2000 (26)
May 2000 (21) April 2000 (22) March 2000 (28) February 2000 (18)
January 2000 (20) December 1999 (20) November 1999 (26) October 1999
(25) September 1999 (18) August 1999 (40) July 1999 (38) June 1999
(24) May 1999 (27) April 1999 (25) March 1999 (26) February 1999
(29) January 1999 (24) July 1998 (12)
Search
Get Involved
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action
View socialistactionusa’s profile on Facebook
View SocialistActionCT’s profile on YouTube
Subscribe to Our Newspaper
Blog at WordPress.com. The Expound Theme.
