Hundreds of workers with Verizon held a demonstration along the Grand Concourse at East Fordham Road on April 20. Nearly 40,000 workers walked off the job over a week ago after executives declined to negotiate a new contract with retail workers and technicians.

Verizon execs also tried to implement a waiver in the new contracts that stated Verizon can change any stipulations in the contract at any time.

For Faith Griffith, a three-year Verizon employee living in nearby Tracey Towers for the last five years, the strike signified her “last paycheck” from Verizon the week of April 18. Griffith, a single mother, told the Norwood News she faces uncertainty. “I am basically worried about the future,” she said.

Griffith, who maintains pride working at Verizon, said Verizon doesn’t want to “help their workers.”

“They’re actually trying to crush the union and New York is a union town,” said Griffith. “So without us, Verizon wouldn’t have anything without its workers.”
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto and Senator Gustavo Rivera vowed to stand with workers as long as the strike lasts.

In a statement released after the strike, Marc Reed, Verizon’s chief administrative officer said the strike “hurts all of our employees.

“Since last June, we’ve worked diligently to try and reach agreements that would be good for our employees, good for our customers and make the wireline business more successful now and in the future,” said Reed. “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.”

Additional reporting by David Cruz

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.