"If You're Against Us, We're Against You!"

Workers succeeded last week in using direct action to persuade Members of Congress Steve Israel (D-NY) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) to voice their objections to the Verizon/Big Cable deal that is under review now by the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission.

For weeks, members of CWA Local 1108 called both Representatives to explain their opposition to the deal, which would end competition between Verizon and the cable companies, effectively end FiOS expansion, create higher prices for consumers, and deepen the digital divide. And most important—an estimated 72,000 jobs will disappear if the Verizon/Big Cable monopoly is established.

After a huge demonstration by a hundred workers and allies at Rep. Israel’s New York offices in mid-July, some 300 die-hard CWA members lined the highway to the Congressman’s campaign kickoff event on July 22, wearing their red shirts and carrying signs that demanded he take the right stand on the deal. Mike Gendron, Executive Vice President of CWA Local 1108, explained the urgent need for this kind of action,

Quite frankly, if this cable deal goes through, they will carve up the country to kill our jobs, kill competition, and kill our union. This is such a drop-dead issue for us, that if we give a pass to our so-called friends, there is no future.

We have one crack at this, Brothers and Sisters, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. We’re going to hold Members of Congress accountable. And we’re telling them: “We’re going to make this very uncomfortable for you. Either you’re with us or you’re against us, and if you’re against us, we’re against you.”

Gendron announced in a Town Hall call last Thursday that both members of Congress who were targeted—Steve Israel and Carolyn McCarthy—had sent to the DoJ and FCC strong letters expressing the need for strict regulations protecting jobs and consumers in the proposed Verizon/Big Cable deal.

Union members took direct action and it worked. Both Israel and McCarthy saw the importance of supporting workers against this corporate power grab. It’s time to hold other members of Congress accountable too.