Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
North Carolina Verizon Strikers Fight for Their Families
Local 3673 members striking against Verizon South in western North Carolina have been enjoying the support of their communities and, it appears, law enforcement and the media as they continue to walk picket lines in eight counties.
Their biggest issue at CWA press time was forced overtime. "It has a terrible effect on your family time. Some of our guys had worked 34 straight days when the strike began," Local 3673 President Tommy Pool said.
About 150 Local 3673 members went on strike May 19 over forced overtime and a company demand to increase "waiting days" before workers can take sick leave. It would have the effect of taking away two paid sick days for many workers, Pool said.
The company also wanted to eliminate a contract provision that lets members take up to three days leave to take family members to hospitals for surgery and bring them home when they are discharged.
The former GTE unit serves about a dozen small towns within a 100-mile radius of Ashville, N.C. People from the community have been stopping by the picket lines offering the strikers water and even money. Restaurants have brought them food, and some establishments have refused to serve anyone in a Verizon truck. The company has been attempting to fill in for the striking technicians with managers and contractors.
"The community is very supportive of the strikers, and it should send a message to Verizon that they should sit down with the union and bargain to resolve these issues," District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith said.
But instead of sitting down and talking, the company was running newspaper ads implying that strikers are responsible for vandalism and service outages.
According to a WLOS-TV Channel 13 (ABC) news broadcast on June 23, however, "Sheriff's investigators say they doubt local strikers are to blame for the cut lines."
In fact, when five offices went out of service in the Franklin, N.C., area early in the strike, it was found to have been caused by a supervisor accidentally pulling a computer card, Pool said.
Pool said the company's problems are due to hiring too few people. His members don't want to work excessive forced overtime and don't want to lose their benefits. As national Verizon bargaining opened the last week of June, "The company thinks they're going to make an example of us," he said.
The local's activities have been bolstered by a radio campaign that tells Verizon it should share North Carolina values and get back to being a family-friendly company. The local and District 3 also held a "family day" picnic June 28 on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhe to reinforce that message.
CWA locals nationwide are showing their support for the striking Verizon workers by participating in an "adopt a family" program and making other contributions to the local.
Their biggest issue at CWA press time was forced overtime. "It has a terrible effect on your family time. Some of our guys had worked 34 straight days when the strike began," Local 3673 President Tommy Pool said.
About 150 Local 3673 members went on strike May 19 over forced overtime and a company demand to increase "waiting days" before workers can take sick leave. It would have the effect of taking away two paid sick days for many workers, Pool said.
The company also wanted to eliminate a contract provision that lets members take up to three days leave to take family members to hospitals for surgery and bring them home when they are discharged.
The former GTE unit serves about a dozen small towns within a 100-mile radius of Ashville, N.C. People from the community have been stopping by the picket lines offering the strikers water and even money. Restaurants have brought them food, and some establishments have refused to serve anyone in a Verizon truck. The company has been attempting to fill in for the striking technicians with managers and contractors.
"The community is very supportive of the strikers, and it should send a message to Verizon that they should sit down with the union and bargain to resolve these issues," District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith said.
But instead of sitting down and talking, the company was running newspaper ads implying that strikers are responsible for vandalism and service outages.
According to a WLOS-TV Channel 13 (ABC) news broadcast on June 23, however, "Sheriff's investigators say they doubt local strikers are to blame for the cut lines."
In fact, when five offices went out of service in the Franklin, N.C., area early in the strike, it was found to have been caused by a supervisor accidentally pulling a computer card, Pool said.
Pool said the company's problems are due to hiring too few people. His members don't want to work excessive forced overtime and don't want to lose their benefits. As national Verizon bargaining opened the last week of June, "The company thinks they're going to make an example of us," he said.
The local's activities have been bolstered by a radio campaign that tells Verizon it should share North Carolina values and get back to being a family-friendly company. The local and District 3 also held a "family day" picnic June 28 on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhe to reinforce that message.
CWA locals nationwide are showing their support for the striking Verizon workers by participating in an "adopt a family" program and making other contributions to the local.