After 45 days on strike, nearly 40,000 Verizon workers have agreed to head back to work. Having reached a tentative agreement with the communications giant, the workers state that they have achieved their goals: raising working families’ standard of living, creating over 1,300 new union jobs and achieving a first contract for retail store workers.
The largest strike in recent history, this Communications Workers of America (CWA) action marks a significant display of the strength of collective action.
During the strike, the company scrambled to fill positions with non-unionized and non-specialized personnel. Workers and their allies engaged in frequent rallies and demonstrations, holding space and making their position known. In the end, it more than paid off: besides winning the workers a raise, reversing cutbacks and creating jobs, the successful strike asserted the importance of workers in making communications infrastructure work, and re-asserted the role that organized labor can play in securing rights for workers.
Before the settlement was announced, CWA Local 1101 member, Verizon Striker and Murphy Alum (Cornell-CUNY Labor Relations Certificate, 2014) Christopher Vilardo shared this statement with the blog:
Here we are, over 10 months from when negotiations began and only one thing has changed: we are on the street.
Verizon’s demands are unrealistic and out of touch with what a skilled worker needs to live a simple middle class lifestyle and better contribute to the economy. Verizon forced our hand to walk, so we walked. Our job security is on the line, our pensions, our retirement savings. Our families will be affected by the forced transfers to different states months at a time; our living in dignity is on the line.
All this is happening after we gave everything we have to this company in order to make record-breaking profits in 2015 and the first quarter of 2016. This company has continued to make billions year over year on our backs. A fair share is all we ask. Are “We the People” not entitled to what we work so hard for?
We will not back down from Verizon and all other corporate tyrants, nor to any employer who is instilling fear and using intimidation to get more from their employees for less. Verizon has a slogan that “better matters.” Well, I say to them that there are things of importance to think about that need addressing if they want to make “Better Matter”: things like compensating the hard workers who actually care about our customers and make “better matters” possible; like ending your blood thirst for destroying the union; like cutting your undeserved multimillion dollar salaries. Or you can simply just tell the public that your hidden definition of the better in “Better Matters” is to better corporate profits by any means necessary.
I want Verizon to know that unions matter and unity in the working class matters. This is a fight larger than CWA, larger than Verizon. This is a fight for all to see that we, the 99%, have a voice. Because some haven’t been listening, now we have to yell and stand up to the bullies. The members of the Communication Workers of America are ready and willing to lead by example. This is our America, our dreams being crushed! Enough is enough!
I think the rally in midtown on Monday April 18th was an indication of that. CWA was there, State Senators, Councilman, brother and sisters from the IBEW, 32BJ, CUNY students. Even Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance. We had the support of the whole city. We can shut it down when we stand as one, union brothers and sisters. Verizon is ours to take! Verizon to the top! And if Knocked Down…We–Riz–On!
Join the movement and be a part, don’t stand apart! Come join us at http://standuptoverizon.com/!
In solidarity, your union brother and Murphy alum,
Christopher Vilardo
