Verizon East Members Gear Up Contract Mobilizations

Today, thousands of CWA members at hundreds of Verizon worksites throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast launched a series of mobilization activities to show support for their bargaining teams and to demonstrate to Verizon that workers are determined to secure a fair contract.

The Verizon East contracts cover more than 70,000 members of CWA and the IBEW, which is coordinating the mobilizations and bargaining jointly with CWA.

To get their message across, workers engaged in "practice" picketing outside garages, call centers, and other company locations. "Our contract gains aren't won exclusively at the bargaining table," said Dennis Trainor, assistant to the District 1 vice president and chair of talks for the Northeast. "Member mobilization is a key factor in convincing management that we mean business," he said.

This sentiment was echoed by District 2 CWA Representative Gail Evans, who chairs talks at the mid-Atlantic table.  "Vocal and visible mobilization by members in the field are what really count. Members' wearing red shirts to work, sharing information and educating their co-workers builds unity and strength," said Evans. "This is the key to success in negotiations with management."

Local unions representing Verizon East members also will hold another series of worksite mobilization actions on July 17, and are planning for a mass "Unity rally" in New York City at 12 noon on Saturday, July 26, one week before the contract's August 2 expiration.