Verizon Slapped With Labor Complaint After Firing Union Leader At 86th Street Store

Verizon Wireless’ recent firing of sales representative Bianca Cunningham was an attempt to silence and intimidate its recently unionized Brooklyn workers, a violation federal labor laws, according to a complaint approved by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this week.

Cunningham, who worked at the company’s 86th Street location, says she was terminated simply for performing her role as union leader and counseling a fellow worker who felt intimidated by a supervisor.

Meanwhile, Verizon employees and their union, CWA Local 1199 are engaged in heated standoff with the cellphone company for raises, better benefits, and a voice on the job to improve working conditions.

“Verizon makes almost a billion and a half dollars a month in profit,” said Dennis Trainor, Vice President of CWA’s District One. “But instead of settling a fair contract for retail workers who make about 300 times less than the company’s CEO, management tries to intimidate its workers by threatening to fire their leader for standing up for her rights. Now that the Federal government has stepped in, Verizon should bring Bianca back and settle fair and just contracts.”

As we’ve reported, hundreds of red shirt-clad workers joined with local elected officials outside the 86th Street store in September, calling on the company not to fire Cunningham — to no avail.

In October, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders lent his voice to a similar Verizon protest in Times Square, calling on Verizon to rehire Cunningham and settle its contract with Verizon Wireless workers.

“All over this country, Verizon is a metaphor,”  Sanders said, according to Business Insider. “You’ve got corporate America making huge profits, their CEOs getting huge compensation packages. And then with all of their money, what they do is hire lawyers in order to make it harder for workers to survive in this country.”

Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless has denied the charges, insisting that Cunningham’s termination was not retaliatory at all.

“The CWA is flat-out wrong. The company is not targeting Bianca Cunningham or any other employee for their union activities. This employee’s conduct is subject to the same standard as all employees at Verizon Wireless,” the company said in a statement.

At Verizon, CWA represents about 100 long-time unionized technicians in New York State and 75 retail employees in Brooklyn and Everett, MA. The 65 Brooklyn workers are the first retail workers to form a union in Verizon Wireless.

Management is refusing to offer any raises, benefits or improvements to working conditions at the bargaining table for the Brooklyn workers (and also newly-unionized Everett, Massachusetts workers). Verizon Wireless is also refusing to offer fair raises, benefit increases or other improvements for its technicians, who are now working without a contract.