Verizon Workers Support Local Occupy Movement
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Fresh off returning to work following a two-week strike in August, Verizon employees say they plan to join the Occupy Providence movement in Burnside Park in on Saturday, as labor groups stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street spinoff group.
Occupy Providence will welcome the Verizon workers and other labor groups to downtown Providence at 5:00pm, where labor leaders will pledge their support to the occupation effort. There will then be a march with several stops along the way. At 5:30pm, the march will pass the Providence Place Mall -which has a Verizon Wireless store- to highlight the company’s “anti-worker business practices and attempts to implement drastic cuts to workers' pay and benefits,” according to a press release issued Friday.
"Verizon is the perfect example of what the Occupy Providence movement is protesting." said Camilo Viveiros, Executive Director of Rhode Island Jobs With Justice, one of the organizers of today's march. "They pay no federal taxes, pay their top executives obscene salaries, are highly profitable but are still trying to drastically cut pay, health care and pensions for current workers and retirees. Verizon's anti-worker attacks are part of what is wrong with the economy today and we are marching today with Occupy Providence to say that these kinds of attacks need to end."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOver 45,000 workers went on strike in August to oppose Verizon’s attempt strip healthcare and pension benefits from employees. They went back to work but they are still fighting for a contract.
Bill McGowan, who represents local Verizon union members, said the company continues to attempt the collective bargaining gains the union has negotiated. In a statement, McGowan said he supports the Occupy movement.
“I just returned from the bargaining table in New York where Verizon presented the IBEW and CWA with a contract proposal that would eliminate many of the collective bargaining gains that the unions have negotiated for our members and retired members over the past 50 years,” he said. “Verizon proposed this week to eliminate job security, pensions, sickness benefits, and totally emasculate health care benefits for over 500,000 members and retirees. This from a corporation which made over 26 Billion in profits over the last two years, paid no taxes, received a 1.3 federal tax refund from the Government, paid their CEO 55,000 dollars a day, and top 5 executives hundreds of millions. The IBEW and CWA will not let Verizon destroy the middle class. We will continue to fight, picket wireless stores, and cannot rule out the possibility of another strike. Thank you for all that you do to help working men and women.”
