This past Saturday, December 10th, more than forty activists from Colorado Jobs with Justice rallied to tell Verizon to bargain fairly with its workers. All across the East Coast, forty five thousand CWA and IBEW members are trying to hold on to middle class jobs, but the massively-profitable Verizon wants to cut starting pay, force retirees to pay up to $6,000 a year for healthcare they’ve already earned, make it easier to outsource jobs, and cut pensions. Jobs with Justice coalitions across the country have been taking action in solidarity.
Here in Denver, in front of the Verizon Wireless store on the 16th Street Mall, the gathered crowd heard from Mary Taylor, Vice President of District 7 for CWA, Brother David Garner of Interfaith Worker Justice, and Seth Donovan, Co-Chair for Colorado Jobs with Justice. Mary Taylor said CWA is “proud of the fact that [we've] worked hard to make sure our member have stable middle-class jobs. . .what Verizon is doing is not just an attack on
Last week, we announced the next stage in the fight for middle-class jobs at Verizon and Verizon Wireless – joining our brothers and sisters at CWA for our nationwide iWon’t Campaign, asking Americans to delay upgrading to the new iPhone on Verizon Wireless until the company stops trying to downgrade middle class jobs.
The iWon’t campaign, which is backed by an impressive coalition including MoveOn.org, USAction, Jobs with Justice, and National People’s Aciton and other groups, will feature advertising, grassroots outreach and leafleting at hundreds of Verizon Wireless stores.
Throughout the CWA / IBEW strike earlier this year, Jobs with Justice stood with hundreds of thousands of Americans who are sick and tired of profitable companies like Verizon and Verizon Wireless showering millions on their CEOs while taking away good jobs.
Now we are asking everyone who cares about the future of the middle class to help us fight back: Upgrade to the new iPhone on Verizon Wireless only when the Verizon companies stop trying to downgrade their workers and give them a fair contract.
Verizon and Verizon Wireless jump through hoops to avoid paying federal taxes, dole
Focus on corporate greed at Hyatt, Verizon, Bank of America
On September 30th, 3,000 people came together from around the country and took to the streets of Boston to demand an end to corporate greed. The march was organized by the Right to the City Alliance, which is a coalition of organizations that seek to build a base of grassroots leaders in low-income, working class communities of color to challenge neo-liberal economic policies. Locally, Right to the City brought together community groups, like City Life Vida Urbana and the Chinese Progressive Association, and labor organizations, like SEIU locals and Jobs with Justice.
The march began with a rally in the Boston Commons. After hearing some inspiring words from participants in the Right to the City conference, everyone mobilized and took to the streets. The first stop on the march was the Hyatt. Last year Hyatt fired its entire housekeeping staff at three non-union hotels in the Boston area, replacing women who had worked at Hyatt for decades with temporary workers earning minimum wage. Everyone chanted “Shame on Hyatt!” as they passed
CWA & IBEW’s two-week strike in August showed Verizon and Verizon Wireless that it could not keep stonewalling at the bargaining table. Several concessionary demands have been removed from the table, including their demand to slash MLK Birthday and Veterans Day as holidays and to eliminate the special city allowance.
Now workers are bargaining from CWA’s proposals to save money on health care without premium sharing and preventing unilateral management changes in health care at Verizon Wireless. And union members are forcing management to focus on our demand to bring thousands of outsourced and off-shored jobs back into the bargaining unit.
There has been progress, but Verizon is still insisting on hundreds of millions in concessions.
It’s time to step up the pressure.
We’re ramping things up with Days of Action next week:
Sept 28th: A national media conference call announcing the escalation of our campaign and our plan to open a new front by focusing on the iPhone 5 release.
Sept. 29th: A day of workplace picketing and rallies to show that we are still angry, still strong, and ready to do whatever it takes.
Sept. 30th – October 1st: Working with allies inside and outside the labor movement,
In Springfield, Massachusetts, over 30 JwJ activists spent Labor Day outside a Verizon Wireless store with a giant rat. Around the rat’s neck: “Don’t Shop @ Verigreedy Wireless.”
In addition to leafleting customers and getting our message to the media and passers-by, JwJ activists committed to stand with Verizon workers until their fight is won.
Chants included, “Hey, Verizon, you can’t hide! We can see your greedy side!” and “Whatever it takes, for as long as it takes!”
IBEW 2324 Business Manager John Rowley exhorted the crowd, “This isn’t just about Verizon. This isn’t just about IBEW and CWA. … We cannot lose sight of what this movement is about. Jobs with Justice says it all!” In Western Massachusetts, JwJ activists will continue leafleting at 4 stores on Wireless Wednesdays and Saturdays, and will add other fun solidarity activities soon!
CWA and IBEW are set to meet today to reconvene bargaining with Verizon. This “reset” of the company’s bargaining position was made possible by the tremendous strike and mobilization efforts of union members and allies like you across the country.
Jobs with Justice coalitions, union members, and allies continue to leaflet at Verizon stores across the country to let Verizon know that we won’t let them get away with gutting good jobs — especially on the heels of news that Verizon pays their CEO more than they pay in U.S. taxes!
But this fight is far from over. Verizon workers need OUR SUPPORT to keep the pressure on!
How you can help:
LEAFLET: There is a new leaflet available for download & distribution at your local Verizon Wireless store. Download a new flyer and organize a group to leaflet. We are particularly focusing our efforts on Wireless Wednesdays from 12-2pm and 5-7pm and Saturdays.
ADOPT A STORE: Can you commit to coordinating activities at a store near you? Can you commit, at a minimum, to activities on Wireless
45,000 Verizon workers went on strike on Sunday, August 7th. On Saturday, August 20th, CWA and IBEW announced that they had reached an agreement on bargaining with Verizon.
The unions did not agree to any of the company’s concessionary demands to reach agreement. Instead, it was the solidarity we all showed that created the opportunity for progress. The strike brought Verizon to their knees and brought the company back to the table negotiate in good faith.
Verizon workers need your help to keep the pressure on to help win a fair contract with decent wages, good benefits and job security. Mobilization continues. We will continue to keep the pressure on until a fair contract is won!
How you can help:
LEAFLET: There is a new leaflet available for download & distribution at your local Verizon Wireless store. Download a new flyer and organize a group to leaflet.
ADOPT A STORE: Can you commit to coordinating activities at a store near you? Can you commit, at a minimum, to activities on Wireless Wednesdays from 12-2pm and 5-7pm and/or Saturdays? Adopt a Store!
Twenty years ago, 60,000 workers from New York City to Maine rallied against healthcare cost-shifting at the telecom giant then known as NYNEX (since “rebranded” as Verizon).
NYNEX was a very profitable, multinational company seeking to capitalize on a demoralizing decade of lost strikes, contract givebacks and widespread unionbusting. At a time when many workers were forced to make concessions, NYNEX strikers held the line for four months and emerged victorious. They successfully resisted the company’s demand that they pay hundreds and eventually thousands of dollars a year for medical benefits. But this singular union win didn’t come cheap. Customer service was disrupted by the work stoppage, resulting in tens of millions of dollars worth of lost wages. Hundreds of strikers were arrested, fired or suspended–and one, Gerry Horgan, was killed on a picket line in Westchester County.
In every other advanced industrial nation, the contentious issue of who pays for medical care was taken off the bargaining table long ago. And no worker would ever lose his or her life defending job-based private health insurance.
To this day, members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical
The figures are staggering. Unemployment is at 9.1 percent and new unemployment claims continue to increase. By one measure, real unemployment and underemployment are double the official rate. According to the Labor Department, job seekers now outnumber openings by six to one!
That’s why more than 1,000 union members, unemployed workers, students, clergy and community leaders came together for an October 1 march and rally to highlight the growing jobs crisis. The group protested on the Boston Common, at Verizon’s New England headquarters and at the Hyatt Regency Hotel against a corporate agenda that has left far too many workers behind.
Eighty labor and community groups sponsored the march and rally. Accompanying the march was the IBEW Local 103 One Hundred and Third Drum and Bagpipe Band and the Somerville Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Marching Band.
The action also focused on how big banks have misused our tax dollars. So far, few of the hundreds of billions in taxpayer money that went to the big banks have reached Main Street. Robert Haynes, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO
Here in Denver, in front of the Verizon Wireless store on the 16th Street Mall, the gathered crowd heard from Mary Taylor, Vice President of District 7 for CWA, Brother David Garner of Interfaith Worker Justice, and Seth Donovan, Co-Chair for Colorado Jobs with Justice. Mary Taylor said CWA is “proud of the fact that [we've] worked hard to make sure our member have stable middle-class jobs. . .what Verizon is doing is not just an attack on
