Sides in Verizon Strike Trade More Accusations

Verizon said that there had been 143 acts of sabotage to telephone facilities since 45,000 of its workers went on strike Aug. 7.

Verizon officials did not offer definite proof that any particular act was sabotage. But they said it was suspicious that there had been three times the number of incidents in the last eight days as in the previous six months. “It just isn't feasible that there is not a connection because there’s been such an uptick since the calling of the strike,” Mike Mason, Verizon’s chief security officer, said. “Whoever is doing it, I consider it un-American and unpatriotic to attack critical infrastructure.” Verizon officials said phone lines had been deliberately cut in Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York and other places. Washington’s police chief has urged residents to keep an eye out for such acts of sabotage. Among the places affected were a nursing home and two police departments. Verizon officials said the huge storms on the East Coast last weekend also caused some damage and failures, without specifying where or how many, but they said the company was fully focused on repairs. Union officials said they opposed all sabotage and had repeatedly told their members not to engage in such acts. They also said that Verizon was exaggerating the number of incidents. At the same time, the unions have their own complaints about Verizon, saying that several strikers have been struck by managers’ cars.