CWA to Sue Verizon for Using Logo on Non-Union Apparel

CWA will file suit in the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania, protesting Verizon's unauthorized use of the CWA logo — a registered trademark — on apparel made by non-union and offshore manufacturers and distributed to CWA members by the company, District 13 Vice President Jim Short announced.

"The company fails to realize how strongly our members feel and how important the CWA logo is to us," Short said. "Members have died on the picket lines fighting for justice while wearing the CWA logo. To place our logo on non-union apparel and apparel manufactured outside the United States is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. Verizon's actions have tarnished CWA's reputation and image."

Before filing suit, CWA requested that Verizon retrieve and destroy all of the apparel distributed throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware and provide lists of members who received it. Also, the union requested that a directive be sent to all company management instructing them that use of the logo must be approved by the District 13 vice president.

For more than two months, the company ignored certified letters sent by CWA to the apparel firm it hired and to the Verizon managers responsible for distribution of some of the items, Short said.