Verizon offers “final, best” solution to workers on strike

Verizon has put what they’re calling their “last, best and final” offer on the table in the hopes of getting striking employees back to work.

CNN reports company officials met with union leaders and presented them with a contract after ten months of negotiation.

The deal includes a 7.5 percent wage increase and protection from layoffs; however, the layoff protection is only guaranteed so long as Verizon gets more control to manage and deploy workers.

The Communications Workers Of America (“CWA”) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers organized the strikes. About 36,000 workers reportedly participated.

Jim Cutter, president of the local CWA in Salisbury, says they are not happy with this contract.

“They put a new coat of lipstick on the same old pig and sent it out,” Cutter says. “It’s still a bad offer for us. This is not a poor company. This is a company that makes over a billion and a half dollars a month in net profits.”

Cutter also admits they do not want to continue striking but will do so, in order to get their message across.

We’re told 1,000 of the striking workers have gone back to their jobs.