Thursday August 18 09:36 pm
Juan Gonzalez Verizon Workers' Strike "Most Important Labor Battle Going On Today"
DemocracyNow.org - Telecom giant Verizon has threatened to suspend benefits to 45,000 striking workers if they do not return to work at the end of the month. The strike was called after negotiations after Verizon sought to cut health and pension benefits and obtain more leeway to fire workers. The strike is "the most important labor battle going on today," says Democracy Now! co-host and New York Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez. "We're not talking about General Motors or a company in financial trouble. Verizon is swimming in cash. Yet even with such a profitable company, you have a situation where it is demanding unprecedented givebacks from its workers. If Verizon -- a profitable company -- insists its work force has to do all of these cuts in their living standards, what does it mean [for] any other company in America? The workers are vowing to keep this up as long as possible because a company that is so profitable right now should not be insisting that its workers give up even more of the hard-fought gains they've had over the years."
For the complete transcript, to download the podcast, or for more additional Democracy Now! reports on the Verizon strike and other recent U.S. labor battles, visit http //www.democracynow.org/2011/8/18/juan gonzalez verizon workers strike most
FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE
Facebook http //www.facebook.com/democracynow
Twitter @democracynow
Subscribe on YouTube http //www.youtube.com/democracynow
Daily Email News Digest http //www.democracynow.org/subscribe
Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit http //www.democracynow.org/donate/YT
Mixx
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
delicious
reddit
MySpace
StumbleUpon
LinkedIn
