Verizon Workers Enter 4th Week Of Strike With No End In Sight

On the 23rd day of the strike against Verizon, tens of thousands of employees across the nation took to picket lines to broaden the protest.

Talks between the two sideshave been largely unproductive in recent weeks, and Boston-area technician Kenny Caruso said Verizon has focused on the wrong issues.

"We’re not out here for wages -- let’s make that clear," said Caruso. "Basically the only improvement they made [in talks] was a .1 percent raise in 3 years, and like I said, we’re here for job security, movement of work, call centers.’

Workers have concerns over call centers that would outsource jobs, among other disagreements.

Caruso said he has been with the company for more than 20 years, and urged both Verizon partners and customers to air their complaints over strike-related service delays and cancelations.

"The pressure should be on Verizon to give their workers a fair contract," he said. "We're some of the best, highly skilled workers that the company has, and obviously people rely on that."

Brenda Hunter has worked for Verizon for more than 27 years, and she said hopes to retire with the company but has concerns over its commitment to its employees.

"We want to keep our jobs here in America, we want to keep the pensions that we have," she said.

Hunter asked for patience from partners and customers affected by the strike.

"We're asking them to hang in there and bear with us. We're hoping that between the union and our company, we will come together and get a fair contract, so that we can come back to work and provision the work, and give them the good quality service that we do every day," she said.