Over Ten Thousand CWA and IBEW Workers Rally in Front of Verizon Headquarters

With One Week Remaining in Their Contract, Workers Show Up in Force to Defend Middle-Class Jobs Against Corporate Greed

NEW YORK , NY (07/31/2011)(readMedia)-- Earlier today over 10,000 working men and women represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) held a unity rally in front of Verizon's corporate headquarters.

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)-expires on August 6th. The massive rally was held because Verizon is attempting to break the back of its middle-class, unionized workforce by pushing for a new contract that:

• Eliminates all job security provisions.

• Continues contracting out of work to low-wage contractors, including outsourcing jobs overseas.

• Freezes pensions for current workers and eliminate them for future employees.

• Replaces the current high-quality health care plan with a high-deductible plan requiring thousands of dollars in premium cost-sharing.

• Eliminates accident disability benefits, and slash sickness disability benefits.

• Eliminates long-standing subsidies for employee child care.

• Slashes paid holidays to seven, including eliminating MLK Day and Veteran's Day.

• Reduces annual paid sick days to no more than 5, with none at all for employees with fewer than 2 years of seniority.

• Even eliminates the half-day off that was historically granted on Christmas Eve.

Verizon is calling for these drastic cuts in salary and benefits for its middle-class workforce despite the fact that it remains a hugely profitable corporation. The company made over $19 billion in profits over the last four years and paid its top five executives over $258 million, including $80.8 million for its CEO Ivan Seidenberg.

"Verizon is insulting the 45,000 hardworking men and women who built the company and make it profitable," said CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton. Verizon is trying to destroy middle-class jobs and we are not going to accept it."

The CWA and IBEW workers were joined by a host of prominent labor leaders, community groups and elected officials. Elected officials who spoke included New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Senate Minority Leader John Sampson, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Diane Savino, State Senator Adriano Espaillat, Assemblyman Jim Brennan, Assemblyman Peter Abbate, Assemblyman Hakeem Jefferies, and Councilman Vincent Gentile.

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