After considering all of our options, your leadership has decided not to go on strike at midnight tonight, even though we have not yet reached a contract agreement.
The two sides remain far apart. Despite $18 billion in profits over the last 18 months, and a quarter of a billion in compensation to its top executives over the last five years, this greedy corporation is still insisting on destroying our job security, forcing us to pay thousands of dollars more for our health care, and slashing our retirement security. They have basically not moved off their opening bargaining position from June 22nd. It’s a disgrace.
We are disgusted by Verizon’s attitude at the bargaining table. Their greed knows no bounds.
But we are not going to let our anger allow us to walk into a trap. It’s quite possible that Verizon is trying to provoke us into a long strike in order to try to break us. They have spent tens of millions of dollars preparing for a strike, training managers, hiring scabs and contractors, advertising against us on TV and radio. So your leadership has decided that if and when we strike, it will be on our terms, on our timing.
We know that you are angry. We are all furious at this greedy company. Now our job is to turn that anger into pressure on the job and in the community. We cannot have business as usual. We will rally, engage in informational picketing, build political and regulatory pressure on the company, follow all the company rules to the letter, never take shortcuts, pressure company executives and members of the Board of Directors. We will be disciplined, militant and united.
This was not an easy decision. But it is the smart decision. And if and when the time comes, we will strike the company on our terms.