Verizon workers end strike and return to work

Verizon employees will end a widely publicized strike on Tuesday and return to work. 45,000 Verizon employees went on strike on August 7th after failing to reach an agreement over new contract terms. The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers still have not reached an agreement with Verizon and the two sides are still negotiating, according to reports. In the meantime, the old contract remains in effect. “The strike was about the process,” Communications Workers of America president Larry Cohen said. “We are now convinced that a change to the process is possible. The risk of going back to work while negotiating this is worth it to us,” Cohen said, noting that it’s unlikely an agreement will be reached in the next month. Verizon spokesperson Rich Young told reporters that Verizon still wants to change union worker’s benefits as a result of a decline in wireline revenues.