Unions representing 45,000 Verizon workers declare strike
Two unions that represent workers for Verizon announced an immediate strike on Sunday, demanding better treatment after a lack of progress in negotiating contracts. The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the unions representing Verizon, last went on strike in 2000. Verizon union membership has shrunk by nearly in half since then, and is much weaker than before. Can union members still exert their influence in a strike? Mike Carmel, a Verizon customer support analyst who is among the strikers, says they are willing to strike as long as they need to in order to make progress.
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