WVA Verizon Workers to Receive Jobless Benefits for 2011 Strike

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that said CWA Verizon members at the Clarksburg call center were entitled to unemployment benefits for the two weeks in August 2011 that Verizon members were on strike.

"Our members have been waiting for more than two years, but this decision means they'll finally receive the benefits they're entitled to," said CWA District 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney.

While state law says that workers would be ineligible for unemployment compensation "due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute," it also makes clear that "stoppage of work" refers to the employer's operations, not workers' status.

Verizon had appealed the decision to the State Supreme Court, arguing that operations during the strike could not be considered "normal" operations. In a 3-2 decision, the Supreme Court disagreed, noting that employees did handle calls at the Clarksburg call center during the strike.