Nearly 45,000 Verizon workers have been striking for nine days, as the company continues to demand huge worker concessions. Since these workers have gone on strike, the company has replaced them with temporary workers.
Now, a video has emerged of a group of striking Verizon workers assisting these scab workers with safety training that the company apparently did not provide them. In the following clip, a man from the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) Local 2321 Danvers Garage explains to some of the replacement workers how to safely get up an electric pole without being hurt. (Warning: The video contains some expletives):
ThinkProgress contacted IBEW Local 2321 Danvers Garage to interview them about the situation. Business Manager Ed Starr explained that, of the replacement workers being brought on the job, “a majority of contractors…they’re performing work in every capacity unsafely.” Starr said he knows of Verizon workers from sales departments, IT, and other desk jobs who are being asked to do work on outside infrastructure that they are not trained to work with. Upon request from the workers out of fear of retaliation, ThinkProgress will not name the workers in the video but can confirm they are from IBEW Local 2321 Danvers Garage.
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