Verizon Strike Update: Union Plans School Protest

A faction of the 45,000 Verizon employees on strike is planning on protesting a New York Department of Education meeting on Wednesday.

The Department of Education meeting is set to vote on a two-year, $120 million contract with Verizon, which the union is hoping will be voted down.

A flyer distributed on subways and sidewalks throughout New York City called upon New Yorkers to "stop Verizon from being awarded a $120 million contract with New York City."

"Verizon is trying to destroy middle class jobs," the flyer said. "Those family-supporting jobs give our kids a decent shot at learning and growing."

"It's wrong to give Verizon, which was found by the Special Investigator for the NYC School District to have facilitated a $3.6 million fraud perpetrated on our schools, a big new contract while workers strike."

The protest will be held at Murray Bergtraum High School in lower Manhattan at five p.m.

The striking employees are currently in day 11 of a strike that doesn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon. The two sides still stand far apart on a lot of issues, including health care payment, leading to a potentially drawn out negotiation process.

The striking union alleges that Verizon is forcing it to make as many as 100 concessions in its new contract, while Verizon claims that as its landline operation continues to drop in profitability, moves need to be made to cut costs. As the union has remained on strike, Verizon has brought up managers from around the country to try to fill in the voids.