Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 14 statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions. WFTU International Solidarity with the workers of Verizon in the USA

14 Apr 2016

The World Federation of Trade Unions, founded in 1945 and representing 92 million workers in 120 countries, sends a message of working class solidarity to the 40,000 Verizon workers in the United States who went on strike at 6 am on April 13, 2016.

We stand with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in their battle to end Verizon’s outrageous actions against the workers.

The WFTU condemns Verizon’s proposal to gut job security, contract out more work, offshore jobs to other countries, and to require technicians to work away from home for as long as two months without seeing their families.

The WFTU calls on Verizon to end its refusal to negotiate any wage or benefit improvements for Verizon Wireless retail workers who organized into the union in 2014.

The WFTU demands that Verizon end its efforts to freeze pensions at 30 years of service and to force extremely high health care costs on retirees.

Verizon has 40% fewer workers than a decade ago in spite of its making $39 million in profits over the last three years and 5.4 billion in profit in the first 3 months of 2016.

This cut in vital staff not only causes harm to workers but also to the communities that are dependent on the communications services that these workers provide.

The WFTU calls on Verizon to hire the workers necessary to fulfill its obligations to provide high-speed broadband services in cities like Philadelphia and New York.

We call on unions across the globe to act in solidarity with these striking workers who have the courage to stand against Verizon, one of the most wealthy and powerful corporations.

The WFTU calls on Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, who was paid $18 million in salary last year, to reverse its violations of human dignity and to meet the just demands of the striking workers.

THE SECRETARIAT OF WFTU

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