Verizon to strikers: Stop picketing, or lose benefits
Published: Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 6:45 PM Updated: Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 9:12 PM
Verizon said it sent out letters to its 45,000 picketing workers reminding them about a contract provision, approved three years ago, stating that medical and other benefits would be suspended at the end of the month in the case of a strike.
"It’s not a surprise to them," said company spokesman Lee Gierczynski. "If the striking employees are not serving our customers, our investors should not be expected to pay their benefits."
Union representatives responded by accusing the company of employing "scare tactics."
"The point was to scare workers, of course," said Candice Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Communications Workers of America. "The best for everybody is to just get serious about negotiations and move forward."
The two sides have been locked in a standoff since Aug. 7, when negotiations for a new three-year contract broke down over provisions for health care and pensions. Verizon has filed court injunctions against the picketers in four states, including New Jersey, accusing them of harassment and obstruction at its facilities. The CWA, meanwhile, has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
The strike ends more than a decade of peaceful labor relations between the telecommunications giant and its two unions, the CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which together comprise one-fifth of the company's national workforce.
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