Verizon Workers On Strike: 36,000 Employees Walk Out

By Jane Reed | Apr 14, 2016 08:49 AM EDT

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Verizon is now experiencing another huge work force strike. Recently, 36,000 Verizon workers have walked out after failing to reach a labor agreement that involves employees in the United States.

The largest recorded strike in the United States also came from Verizon workers. That was back in 2011 where it involved 45,000 employees, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Because of the strike, the company's FiOS broadband service and landline businesses are affected. The strike came about after the workers have gone without a contract since August of last year. The Communication Workers of America, which is the union that is representing these workers, have been trying to get Verizon to provide a better labor agreement. After finding out that Verizon has been outsourcing jobs to countries like the Philippines, Mexico and Dominican Republic under a low paying scheme. Verizon is under fire because they are allegedly closing its call centers. The CWA released a statement saying: "Verizon's corporate greed isn't just harming workers' families, it's hurting customers as well."

Ken Becket, who is the technical telecommunications associate for Verizon joined the strike in their Manhattan office. "The main thing is that's it's taking good-paying jobs and taking them away from the American public," he says. CNN Money reports that Verzon is making up for the losses and still continues to offload some of its wireline assets.

Verizon's Chief Administrative Officer expresses his regrets that the employees and union leaders have arranged a strike. "Unfortunately, union leaders have their own agenda rooted in the past and are ignoring today's digital realities. Calling a strike benefits no one, and brings us no closer to resolution."

Despite the worker's strike, Verizon is still servicing its customers with the non-union contracted workers that are outsourced from other countries.

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