45,000 Union Workers STRIKE Telling Verizon "We Won't Go Back"

My husband works for Verizon and if you haven't already heard, I am writing this to let you know. Over 45,000 union workers went on strike against Verizon effective today at 12:01 am. In an attempt by Verizon to break the union and take away from the middle class workers everything the union has earned through negotiations in the last 50 years.

We are a family of 5, which consists of 3 small children and just bought our first home 2 years ago. My husband only makes 70,000 a year without any overtime. He wants to work overtime. But the company won't let employees do this, even if it would help the customers.

Verizon has profit 26.9 billion dollars in the last four years according to a 7/22/11 story at townhall.com . I could understand about making some kind of concession if the company was losing money, but to post that kind of profit and to try and strip every kind of protection the workers have, cut their pay, take away sick time, cut their health care and replace it with a plan that would require them to pay about $7000 a year for their families, is totally ridiculous. Verizon even wants to freeze their pensions and try to make the middle class even more poorer than it already is. How messed up is this?

Verizon has paid millions to their CEO Ivan G. Seidenberg according to a 3/22/11 story at abcnews/money . Verizon wouldn't even think of slashing their own benefits or pay. All the union wants is to have fair bargaining agreement and to have its workers share in the companies success that they helped build. The union didn't want to go on strike, the company gave them no choice. I know there are a lot of people out there that will say that these people are cry babies and that they should be thankful that they have a job. THEY ARE GRATEFUL. This is an issue about quality of life that they are trying to take away. The employees work in all kinds of weather such as rain,sleet,snow and yes nice days too.

At a time when this economy is in such bad condition all Verizon wants to do is add to that. Here is a company that can start to help the economy by keeping the middle class working,by giving them what they deserve, which is a fair agreement. Instead, they want to further line their own pockets and not give anything back just take it all away. People are struggling enough in this economy with everything else that is going on.

How Do You Think This Affects the Workers Families?

These workers didn't want this strike to happen, they think of the customers which this is going to affect. It is taking money out of their pockets to support their families, pay their bills and to simply stay afloat. I am confident that more than 95% of them live paycheck to paycheck, while the "big wigs" sit in their country clubs or their million dollar mansions and vacation homes laughing all the way to the bank.

Verizon doesn't care about the customers. If they did the union wouldn't have had to make their choice to strike. America is on a downward spiral, where the big CEOs of companies and all the illegal immigrants just keep on taking away from us. If this continues, there will be only two classes of citizens THE RICH and THE POOR. There will be no more middle class.

I applaud the union in what they are doing, fighting for the little guy. When unions were strong, the USA was the best place to be. Now look at us, we give more money away to foreign companies. After all the union busting, greedy CEOs and the out sourcing of jobs, this USA has become less and less of a super power.IT IS TIME WE FIGHT BACK and TAKE BACK WHAT IS OURS. We have been silent for far too long and its about time we band together and show these big companies that as my husband would say "We will fight with all our being and till the last breath." In summary I could go on and on about this. I'm sure I haven't included a lot about everything, but you can check out what the union is saying.

Furthermore you can also google the CEOs of Verizon and see what they get paid and what their compensation is. Please show your support for our union families and check out the unions websites, which are, IBEW827.com or CWA1101.net. LET VERIZON KNOW THAT YOU SUPPORT OUR FAMILY. Tell them to bargain in good faith and give their workers a fair agreement.

Sources: Personal experience,( husband works for the company and I hear it first hand)

T ownhall

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