Verizon Strikers Rally- and Picnic- in Silver Spring
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)With hot dogs grilling nearby, the
sun peeping through the clouds and a cool
breeze in the trees above, the mood was more
festive than fiery at Tuesday’s noontime
rally by striking Verizon workers in Silver
Spring. Metro Council President Jos Williams
soon had the crowd of several hundred CWA 2108
and 2336 members fired up, though, their chants
of “One day longer” echoing past the giant
inflatable rat and across Columbia Pike to the
nearby Verizon facility. “This fight is not
just about you,” Williams shouted into the
megaphone, “This is a fight for the middle
class, a fight for America!” Maryland State
Senator Jim Rosapepe, remembering the union
battles earlier this year in Wisconsin, said
that “now those battles are here in Silver
Spring. It’s time for a race to the top, not
a race to the bottom.” As passing cars honked
their support, Williams led the crowd in a
call-and-response chant. “When Verizon says
giveback, you say” “Hell NO!” came the
full-throated response. Former Local 2336
President Jim Pappas – called out of
retirement to assist with the strike – told
Union City that “I spent my whole life
building this contract. I’ll be damned if
I’ll miss a fight to keep it.” Strikers,
wearing shirts promising “The longer the
picketline the shorter the strike” lined up
for hot dogs and fixings donated by Glen’s
BBQ,
served up by Glen Hodges, a retired ATU 689
member. Picketlines and rallies continue; watch
our website for the latest
schedule.
-
report/photos by Chris
Garlock