Verizon reducing the healthcare benefits for 36,000 striking employees April 30

Verizon employees striking across the Northeast, involving right here in Central New York, will lose their healthcare coverage April 30.

The 36,000 workers went on strike 2 weeks ago over various complaints that involve moving jobs, like customer call centers, overseas, hiring non-union contractors for jobs and placing technicians out-of-state to work for months at a time.

Verizon will end healthcare benefits at the end of the month April.

After that, the CWA will pay for any essential medical or hospital expenditures or in few cases employees can seek coverage under COBRA.

“The point of the strike is that the persons who work here stand to lose their work to the state India and the Philippines,” states local 1123 President Chris Ryan. “It is un-American.”