Verizon Workers Fight For Middle Class Jobs - JOIN THE PICKET LINE!

Over 10,000 Workers in New York Will Join Mass Picket Lines and Rallies on Monday Morning - Join Them!

This week, thousands of striking workers will join mass picket lines and rallies at over 100 Verizon work locations across New York and New Jersey to pressure the highly profitable company to back off its sweeping demands. Verizon’s demands include: gutting pension security, eliminating benefits for workers injured on the job, eliminating job security, slashing paid sick leave, and raising health care costs by up to $6,800 per worker.

FIND YOUR PICKET LINES AND RALLIES HERE (MAP)

New York City Locations

Verizon HQ, Starting at 7:00 AM, 140 West St. New York NY

Multi-lingual Call Center, Starting at 7:00 AM, 107-15 70th Road Queens NY

Brooklyn Call Center, Starting at 8:00 AM, 395 Flatbush Ave (corner of Fulton St.) Brooklyn NY

Wyatt St. Garage, Starting at 7:00 AM, 1208 Wyatt St. Bronx NY (note: Wyatt St., not Wyatt Ave.)

Forest Ave Garage, Starting at 7:00 AM, 1625 Forest Ave Staten Island NY

Long Island Locations

Zeckendorf Central Office, Starting at 7:00 AM, 741 Zeckendorf Blvd Garden City NY

Commack Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, Larkfield Rd (north of Jericho Tpke) Commack NY

Westchester Locations

Yonkers Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 999 Nepperhan Ave Yonkers NY

Peekskill Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 29 Arlo Lane Peekskill NY

Capital District Locations

 Albany Garage, Starting at 7:30 AM, 901 3rd St. Extension (across from Albany labor temple) NY

Schenectady Garage, Starting at 7:30 AM, 2401 Watt St. Schenectady NY

Central Office 158 State St. Albany NY

Call Center 314 Glen St. Glen Falls NY

Central NY Locations

Utica, Starting at 7:00 AM, 617 Broad St. NY

Thompson Road FiOS Center & Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 6360 Thompson Rd Syracuse NY

Auburn Central Office, Starting at 7:00 AM, South Street Auburn NY

Hudson Valley Locations

 Nanuet FiOS Garage, Starting at 7:30 AM, 33 Rte 304 Nanuet NY (near corner of West Nyack and Rt 304)

Newburgh Garage, Starting at 7:00 AM, 1428 Union Ave. (intersection of Rt 300 and Rt 52 off Thruway) Newburgh NY

Poughkeepsie VZ Wireless Store, Starting at 7:00 AM, Rt 9 and Rt 9D in Poughkeepsie NY

North Country Locations

Malone Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 329 Elm St. Malone NY

Potsdam Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 5-7 May Rd. Potsdam NY

Watertown Garage, Starting at 7:00 AM, 624 Coffeen St Watertown NY

Ogdensburg Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 317 Elizabeth St Ogdensburg NY

Southern Tier Locations

Vestal Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 3122 Shippers Road Vestal (off Old Vestal Rd) Vestal NY

Elmira Garage in Horseheads, Starting at 6:30 AM, 122 Colonial Dr. Horseheads NY

Lansing Garage, Starting at 6:30 AM, 1 Verizon Way Lansing NY

Western NY Locations

 Franklin St Central Office, Starting at 6:30 AM, 65 Franklin St Buffalo NY

Niagara Falls, Starting at 6:30 AM, 574 Portage Rd. (corner of Walnut Ave.) Niagara Falls NY

New Jersey Locations

Hamilton—Hamilton Call Center, Starting at 6:30 AM, 600 Horizon Dr. Hamilton NJ

Livingston—Livingston Call Center, Starting at 7:00 AM, Rt 10 corner of Mt. Pleasant Ave Livingston NJ

Newark—Newark Call Center, Starting at 7:00 AM, 540 Broad St. Newark NJ

Trenton—Ewing Call Center, Starting at 6:30 AM, 575 Parkway Ave Trenton NJ

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CWA’s contract with Verizon—covering 16,000 workers in New York (and a total of 45,000 CWA and IBEW members from Massachusetts to Virginia)—expired at midnight on Saturday, August 6th.  The 70 unionized CWA Verizon Wireless technicians who maintain the New York City metro area cellular network are also on strike.

Despite $22.5 billion in profits over the past four and a half years, Verizon seems intent on destroying middle-class jobs for its unionized workforce. For example, the company is reneging on promises to retired workers by seeking to force them to pay thousands of dollars for health care, and has proposed to freeze pensions for current workers and eliminate them for new hires. 

CEO Ivan Seidenberg, who took home $81 million in total compensation over the last four years, is guaranteed free health for life, as is his wife. Overall, Verizon paid its top five executives $258 million over the past four years.

Verizon’s unprecedented demands at the bargaining table include: 

• Continued contracting out of work to low-wage contractors, which means more outsourcing of good jobs overseas.
• Eliminating disability benefits for workers injured while on the job.
• Elimination of all job security provisions.
• Eliminating paid sick days for new hires and limiting them to no more than five for any workers.
• Freezing pensions for current workers and eliminating them for future employees.
• Replacing the current high-quality health care plan with a high-deductible plan requiring up to $6,800 in additional costs.

Verizon is calling for these drastic cuts for its middle-class workforce despite both increasing profits and a workforce that has shrunk by 50% over a decade in its wireline division. 

“Verizon executives are trying to take money from working people while paying themselves more than ever,” said Chris Shelton, Vice President for CWA District 1, which covers New York, New Jersey and New England.  “Verizon’s C.E.O was paid $81 million over four years, almost three hundred times what an average employee makes, but they are still trying to destroy the American dream for middle class workers.  We won’t stand for it.”

Moreover, at a time when workers have less job security than ever, Verizon is trying to eliminate benefits for workers who are injured on the job.  Many of these employees do dangerous jobs, putting themselves at risk of permanent injury or death from a fall or other accident with no way of taking care of their families.

“Companies like Verizon that make billions in profits have a responsibility to create good, American jobs, not outsource them overseas,” continued Shelton.  “Verizon is outsourcing good jobs to the Philippines, Mexico and India.  America needs middle class jobs, not more of Verizon’s outsourcing.”

Verizon workers from Massachusetts to Virginia will be picketing and rallying throughout the day.

Contact:

Bob Master, CWA District 1, 212-344-2515 (o), 917-657-6483 (c)

Joe Reubens, 212-571-7717 (o), 917-854-7811 (c)

Evan Stavisky, 212-571-7717 (o), 917-579-5696 (c)