Verizon Workers Strike at Elkridge Location

If you’ve seen people wearing signs that say "CWA" in your neighborhood, they may be some of the 45,000 Verizon employees from Boston to Virginia who have been on strike since Aug. 7.

Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union representing the employees, has said that Verizon is demanding too many concessions as employees try to renew their contracts, which expired on Aug. 6.

"They want to strip us of our benefits," said Phil Halpin, a resident picketing on Hunt Club Road in Elkridge.

The New York Times reported that, in an effort to cut costs, Verizon is asking workers to pay between $1,500 to $3,000 for family coverage, freezing pensions for current employees, and getting rid of traditional pensions for future employees.

Marc C. Reed, Verizon's executive vice-president of human resources, said in a press release Sunday that the cuts to benefits were due to a difficult economic climate. 

"We will continue to do our part to reach a new contract that reflects today's economic realities in our wireline business and addresses the needs of all parties," Reed said.

“We were able to come into this area—Howard County, Anne Arundel County—and get a lot of customers,” said Shadon Whitmire, a Verizon Fios employee based out of the Hanover office. "Now that our hard work has gotten us established, there’s an overall feeling that we’re not needed anymore."

Erin Gibson contributed to the reporting of this article.