As reported by Rand Wilson at Open Media Boston, members of IBEW Local 2222 in Boston, most of whom work on Verizon's landlines, voted at their monthly meeting on Oct. 5 to support the occupations opposed to corporate greed in New York and Boston's financial districts. "It is my hope that our local union offers its full support to the grassroots movement that is sweeping this country," stated Paul Feeney, a Verizon central office technician and spokesman for IBEW Local 2222, as quoted by the report.
Feeney added, "As we know all too well, the nation's largest corporations, including Verizon, pay zero in federal taxes and effectively shirk their responsibility to our society. This corporate greed, along with the systemic failure of the banks that fund them, has caused enormous suffering, joblessness and homelessness."
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As noted by Open Media's Wilson, Verizon workers have been wrangling for a new contract since August, when 45,000 union members took to the picket lines for more than two weeks, only go back on the job without a contract before the month ended. Since then, the workers have publicly waged a vigorous campaign aimed at forcing Verizon management to bargain in good faith.
"Verizon workers learned once again this summer that we have to take our struggle for fairness to the street," Feeney added. "Now thousands of people from Wall Street to Boston and throughout this country are doing just that -- and they deserve our support!"
Full Story:Boston Telecom Workers Support Wall Street and Boston Occupations (openmediaboston.org)