Verizon Workers Protest on Newbridge Road

Laura Porter-Lopez is a 20-year Verizon veteran protesting the telecommunication giant's recent proposal to contract changes.

The single mother from East Meadow said she is "beyond outraged."

"When I came here 20 years ago, they promised me that I would have good job with benefits and a pension," she said. "Now they want to freeze the pensions. I put myself in danger everyday. I work in the snow and the rain and they want to take from me."

Porter-Lopez was among hundreds of Verizon workers who protested on Newbridge Road in North Bellmore Monday.

A statement released by Communications Workers of America Local 1104 stated the company is seeking $1 billion in concessions from its employees.

Tracey Sumner, 43, of Uniondale is another of the more than 2,700 local members of the CWA on strike and 45,000 in the Northeast. Workers remained on strike at various Long Island locations Monday afternoon.

"It is not about us being greedy," he said. "We don't want anything extra. We just don't want to lose what we got."

Despite the sudden loss of its existing workforce, Verizon's media relations director, John Bonomo said the company doesn't expect any disruption in its field and telephone-based customer service departments.

Bonomo said it began hiring retirees and training managers to fill those roles when the unions first announced their strike plans a few weeks ago.

"We implemented that plan on Sunday after the two unions called a strike and inconvenienced our customers," he said.

Bonomo said the company is still answering repair calls, performing installations and taking orders, though he admitted the scope of the strike on Long Island is far-reaching, with Verizon garages throughout the region.

"Just drive through any community and we're not hard to find," he said.

Pat Lydon, 43, of West Islip went through this before. The technician  was out of work for four months when workers went on strike in 1989.

He said what Verizon is doing is unnecessary.

"I remember when my father worked here in '71 and he was out of work for seven months because of a strike and it was hard," he said. "It's one thing if the company is struggling, but you can't expect us to give back when the company is profitable."