Handful of Verizon Workers from North Hills Spend Tuesday Striking in Ross

Around a half-dozen striking Verizon workers protested Tuesday outside the Verizon Wireless store at 4930 McKnight Road, while another handful protested outside a Verizon office at the corner of Sewickley-Oakmont Road and Perry Highway.

More than 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike across the country Sunday after contract negotiations broke down and the contract expired Saturday at midnight.

Workers say the company has asked for concessions, including wage cuts, increased employee contributions to health care plans, and changes to pension benefits, according to Patch's partner, the Huffington Post. The company has said it seeks to cut costs in its wireline unit, which provides wired telephone and Internet service to customers.

The majority of the workers, around 35,000, are represented by the Communications Workers of America, and about 10,000 are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, according to the Huffington Post.

At the Verizon building on Perry Highway, workers who had been on the site since around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday were confronted several times throughout the day by a young, incoherent man. He left without incident after police were called to the area at about 4:30 p.m. 

Dave Karpinski, a cable splicer who has worked at Verizon for 14 years, said he expected workers to protest from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. all week in front of that office. Karpinski, 45, of Shaler, said workers would be in front of the Verizon store on McKnight intermittently this week.

Jeff Norman, 39, of McCandless, was among the strikers picketing on McKnight Tuesday. He said he had to fight for his livelihood. 

"Any one who says we're not paying for health benefits is wrong," said Norman, who has worked for Verizon for 13 years as a cable splicer. He works out of the East Liberty office. 

It would be different if Verizon were losing money, said John Smith Jr., 41, also of Shaler. Smith has worked for 14 years at Verizon as a cable splicer. 

"Verizon is using the economy as an excuse to cut pay," Smith said. "They want concessions just to line their own pockets."