Agreement on Verizon Bargaining Reached; Picketlines/Rallies Canceled
Saturday, August 20, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Thanks to labor unity and
public support for bargaining rights, striking Verizon workers will return to
work on Tuesday with the contract back in force and bargaining restructured,
report CWA and IBEW. All pickets and
demonstrations have been canceled, including today’s planned picketing at the
Verizon Center in downtown DC.
“Congratulations not only to the 45,000 heroic brothers and sisters
at CWA and IBEW who bravely held the line for the American working and middle
class, but to every one of you who stepped up in solidarity over the last two
weeks,” said Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams. “As the
Verizon workers return to bargain the major issues they face, we stand ready,
willing and able to walk the line with them again if and when
necessary.”
The following is the statement
released at 1P today by the Communications Workers of America and the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers:
Washington, D.C. – Members of CWA and IBEW at Verizon
Communications will return to work on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at which time the
contract will be back in force for an indefinite period.
We
have reached agreement with Verizon on how bargaining will proceed and how it
will be restructured. The major issues remain to be discussed, but overall,
issues now are focused and narrowed.
We appreciate
the unity of our members and the support of so many in the greater community.
Now we will focus on bargaining fairly and moving forward.
CWA
and IBEW represent 45,000 workers at Verizon covered by this contract from
Virginia to New England.
For Verizon
news, go to http://cwa-union.org/verizon