Verizon unionists rally against concession demands

Stand Up to Verizon

NEW YORK — Chanting, “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” hundreds of members of the Communications Workers of America who work at Verizon and other unionists rallied and marched here Nov. 19, protesting concession contract demands by the telecommunications giant. Similar protests took place across the state and in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere. The contract covering 39,000 members of the CWA and the Internatonal Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in nine states from Massachusetts to Virginia and the District of Columbia expired Aug. 1. Union members continue to work under the old contract.

Verizon, which posted third-quarter net revenues of $4.04 billion, is demanding increased health care contributions, concessions on pensions and elimination of accident and sickness disability coverage.

“It’s not going good,” Efren Alvarez, 40, an installer of high-speed FiOS Internet service, told the Militant. “More than three months and the company won’t budge.”

— MAGGIE TROWE