"No Contracts, No Phones!"

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Hundreds of chanting CWA members and their supporters marched and rallied outside CWA's 3rd Street headquarters Thursday as negotiations for a new contract with Verizon continued. The mood was militant in the noonday heat, as the activists threatened "We can build it, we can burn it down!" while clad in CWA's trademark bright-red t-shirts. Emblazoned on the back of the shirts was the union's promise that "We'll fight till Hell freezes over. Then we'll fight on the ice." The contract, which covers 70,000 CWA members and 86,000 retirees - as well as 5,000 IBEW members who are jointly negotiating with CWA - expires August 2. "Verizon's looking for concessions on healthcare and other benefits," CWA 2336 President Jim Pappas told Union City while walking the picketline. "We're fighting that, and we're working to preserve our jobs in the future." Pappas says Verizon has been trying to shrink the union through tactics like subcontracting to a lower-wage subsidiary. CWA is working to mobilize members in the weeks ahead, including a worksite demonstration this Thursday from 11A-2P.
- report/photos by Chris Garlock