Verizon Workers Send Defiant Message to Shareholders

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)“We don’t feel like Verizon cares about its workers anymore,” said Ray Robidoux as early-morning traffic zoomed past yesterday morning. Robidoux and a handful of his fellow Verizon engineering assistants (at right) -- members of CWA 2108 -- were standing on the shoulder of Route 29 outside the Silver Spring Verizon facility, holding a sign castigating their employer for “Destroying Middle-Class Jobs.” The morning demo was one of three held yesterday throughout the region -- including a lively show of solidarity by Our DC at a downtown intersection (below) -- and dozens more across the country as Verizon shareholders met Huntsville, AL, with no settlement in sight 10 months after the expiration of the previous contract. “We’re just trying to keep what we have,” added the 39-year Verizon veteran, “but they’ve demanded huge wage and pension givebacks, haven’t taken a single issue off the table and keep handing outhuge bonuses to their top executives.” Added Jose Cruz, “They just want to break the union. We went back to work (after last year’s strike) in good faith but if the company won’t negotiate in good faith we may have to go out again.” On cue, a passing truck honked its support and the small band of union members raised their fists in response. - report/top photo by Chris Garlock; bottom photo by Julia Kann