10 Mass. Verizon Workers Fired For Actions During Strike
BOSTON (CBS) - Ten Verizon workers from Massachusetts are among the 40 being fired nationwide for actions during a strike.
Thousands of unionized Verizon workers walked off the job during contract negotiations earlier this summer for what they believed were unfair concessions being demanded by the company.
Verizon claims the fired employees went too far protesting their contract cuts by engaging in physical violence and making verbal threats. They allege that some even ran people off the road.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports.
But, the unions backing the workers say that's not true.
"The process of which he used to come up with this decision was not a fair one because there's no vandalism involved in this, there's no egregious capital offenses per say. It's just another chapter in this incredible relationship that just is going nowhere," saod Myles Calvey, the business manager at IBEW.
Now, they're planning to take the company to court. And as for a new contract, another strike could occur in the future.
"It might become inevitable, if that's the only tool we got left," said Calvey.
The union has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board to get the members their jobs back, and they are continuing to fight for a contract but admitted they're not optimistic.
