The National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) has taken action against Verizon for the firing and disciplining of its workers after a two-week strike last August.

NLRB Region 2 has authorized the issuance of a complaint against Verizon for 58 of the 63 cases of unfair dismissal or discipline charges brought by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).  

Ron Collins, CWA chief of staff, says, “This is tremendous news for workers who have faced harsh discipline, even firing, from Verizon that was completely unwarranted.”

This fight has been about economic justice from the beginning. Some 45,000 CWA and IBEW members spent two weeks on the picket line to force this $100 billion company to bargain fairly, not continue to demand givebacks of $1 billion a year.

Jennifer Travis, a 15-year Verizon employee in Pittsburgh, Pa., never once was disciplined or written up, but was unfairly fired last August by Verizon. She says that a few days after the strike began:

I took my husband and two of my three kids with me to the picket line. For us, being union is all in the family! There were a lot of us on the picket line that day. Management was bringing scabs across the line to work our jobs. We were loud and boisterous, but peaceful. The company says that I assaulted a manager. Those are outrageous and false allegations.

Travis says that many of the workers who were fired or disciplined are local union leaders or activists.

It makes me wonder if the company retaliated against us in an effort to intimidate other members who would consider standing up for their union in the future. If true, that’s flat out bullying and it’s disgusting.

The complaint is the first step of the NLRB process. Now Region 2 will seek to negotiate with Verizon to settle these cases.

For more information, visit www.verigreedy.com.