District 9 Hits Back Against Harrassment

A new Verizon manager at the Lakewood Garage in California removed union literature from bulletin boards—another symptom of the hostile atmosphere for workers at Verizon. The manager also made threats against members and Local 9586’s executive vice president, Yvonne Melton, who said, “These blatant unfair labor practices will not be tolerated! We will not continue to be disrespected.”

In response, members of Local 9505, with support from members of Locals 9510, 9588, and 9575, took to the streets to protest management threats and disrespect of union workers.

Verizon workers in District 9 will be heading into negotiations in 2013, with a contract that expires in March. Solidarity around this kind of threat from management should carry over into the solidarity we need to win the contract fight we know is coming.