The current feud between Verizon Wireless and its 45,000 striking employees gained further steam on Friday, after the gigantic carrier called on the FBI in order to investigate alleged sabotage. According to a spokesman for the network, no less that 90 incidents of sabotage have occurred since the beginning of the Strike the previous week, including the cutting of phone lines which has disrupted the services of many thousand of customers across New York and New Jersey.
While acts of sabotage and petty point making are far from uncommon in the world of labor strikes, Verizon have said that the latest examples have well and truly crossed the line as both a police station and a hospital are among those having lost service as a result of the strikers’ actions. The FBI has since confirmed that an enquiry is underway, being handled out of the Newark office.
There has been a rally of accusations between Verizon and the Communication Workers of America union during the course of the week, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. In one example, a CWA spokeswoman has accused Verizon replacement workers of deliberately driving vehicles into the crowds of pickets – while Verizon have insisted that the strikers have been throwing themselves in front of the vehicles.
The strike is the largest in the US since that of 73,000 GM workers in September 2007, which lasted for just two days. At its present level of strength, the likelihood of the Verizon fiasco blowing over soon is minimal to say the very least.
