The REAL reasons for the Verizon strike.. don’t believe the corporate propaganda.
Dear America,
Today 45,000 Verizon employees received their last paycheck until this strike is over. We understand that in this economy everyone should be willing to give up something for the betterment of our country’s financial welfare. We are more than willing to bargain with Verizon to come up with a fair contract for everyone involved. We are not asking for anything more than what we already have and have had for years!
Verizon has placed ads in papers & on television telling you that they just want us to pay for a portion of our health care insurance premium cost and listing various salaries that we should be thankful for. Verizon has failed to publicly mention the 99 other items they would like for us to give up or that these salaries and benefits that they are posting are inaccurate. It takes a unionized Verizon worker 25 years to gradually earn the amount of vacation time that is in these ads!
Verizon has told you that their land line business is failing, yet they fail to mention that that very business is the backbone network of their FIOS, DSL & Wireless operations. They want you to think that there is no need for a land line because they want their FIOS & DSL to be classified as “internet or data” instead of exactly what they are: land lines. Every cell tower connects to a land line network. Without Verizon’s land line business they would have no wireless business!
Verizon fails to publicly mention that they want to begin increasing the outsourcing of American jobs to other countries by removing all aspects of job security from the contract, to freeze all pensions for current workers and completely eliminate them for future employees, slash sick time, eliminate disability payments for injured workers, eliminate holidays (including Veteran’s Day) and completely gut health care plans for current & retired workers.
Despite making $19.5 billion in profits and paying out $258 million to it’s top 5 executives in the last four years, Verizon wants to take back more than 50 years of collective bargaining and destroy middle class jobs, just like many of the other large corporations!
The President of Verizon makes $55,000 a day, how much does the average American worker make per day?
Verizon has paid $0 in federal corporate income taxes over the last three years, how much has the average American worker paid in federal income tax?
Verizon received nearly $1 billion in tax benefits from the federal government (your money) over the last three years, how much has the average American worker received in tax benefits?
You ask why the workers would be going on strike when we’ve been spoiled and should be thankful we have a job in this economy? I believe what you should be asking is why aren’t there more American jobs being created by American companies? Why are companies being allowed to outsource their jobs when American production is at an all time low and we all know that we cannot grow as a consumer only country! We must produce products here in the United States of America!
We are on strike for all of you, not just ourselves. The middle class stands to lose everything while corporations and a few individuals gain it all. We walk the line for you!
We understand that we may have to give up some things that we have had in the past, but we should not have to give up everything including our job security! All we are asking is for Verizon to sit down and bargain with the people that helped build it. It’s time to bring jobs back to America and end corporate greed!
(This is direct from an IBEW member on strike.)
Daily Show & Colbert Writers Stage “Code Pink” Disruption.
Posted by Peter
