Labor Board Cites Verizon Business for Unionbusting

Stating that Verizon Business "has been interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights" guaranteed by federal labor law, the NLRB has backed CWA charges against the company on behalf of VZB workers seeking to organize in Pittsburgh and Monsey, N.Y.

"When this labor board, the most anti-union, pro-business board ever, cracks down on a major corporation like Verizon, it's damning evidence that the pattern of behavior is truly egregious," said CWA President Larry Cohen.

Complaints issued by NLRB regional directors in Pittsburgh and New York found that Verizon Business management:

• "threatened employees with layoff for supporting the union."
•  "informed employees that Verizon Wireless, a related employer, had laid off employees because of their union activity."
• "engaged in surveillance of employees to discover their union activities," and made sure to give the impression that they were under surveillance.
• issued disciplinary warnings against union supporters for distributing union materials and authorization cards "while permitting nonunion solicitations and distribution" in the workplace.

CWA Vice Presidents Jim Short District 13 and Chris Shelton of District 1 both condemned Verizon's actions, and  Cohen has written to presidential candidates citing the complaints as evidence that "underscores all the more boldly why the Employee Free Choice Act is essential to restoring workers' organizing and bargaining rights."

A majority of Verizon Business technicians in New York and New England have signed unionization cards, as verified by U.S. senators and representatives and other leaders, and they would already have union representation if the Employee Free Choice Act were the law of the land.

The NLRB found that Verizon admitted that it had fired Verizon Wireless workers for union activity and used this boast as a threat to frighten the VZB workers.  For years Verizon Wireless workers have faced a relentless employer campaign of coercion, surveillance, firings and even closing of entire offices to stamp out their efforts to win collective bargaining rights.   

Separate NLRB hearings on these cases are set for Oct. 31 in Pittsburgh and Nov. 5 in New York City.