Verizon Workers Relent, to Go Back to Work

Verizon Communications Inc. announced on Saturday that their workers have ended their two-week strike and agreed to return to work from Tuesday under their previous contract.

The 45,000 unionized employees have been on strike since Aug. 7, fighting management demands for contract givebacks and will return to work from Monday night, according to a Verizon press release. The two parties have not yet agreed to any contract.

The workers who were on strike were employed from Massachusetts to Virginia in the land-line division in nine states.

Verizon said that the sides have agreed on a process for moving forward, but many of the dispute's key points of contention -- particularly health care costs -- remain to be settled, CNN reported.

The employees began their strike on Aug. 7, outside a service center on Eisenhower Parkway and a Washington Avenue center office.

Verizon management blamed the workers on strike for acts of network damage that caused disruption of service to its customers, including one incident in Cedar Grove.

CWA spokeswoman Candice Johnson during the strike accused workers of driving vehicles into picketing crowds whereas, Verizon spokesman Rich Young blamed strikers for throwing themselves in front of vehicles.

Verizon Executive Vice President for Human Resources Marc Reed told CNN in a statement that the end of the strike would ultimately benefit the company's employees.

We are pleased that during this stressful economic period our union-represented employees will be back at work earning good wages and benefits, Reed said.

We look forward to negotiating the important issues that are integral to the future health of Verizon's wireline business, Reed said.