Bernie Sanders Plans To Join A Verizon Picket Line

[Fawke Em]

In a rare move for a major presidential candidate, Democratic hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) plans to join a picket line with Verizon workers in New York City on Monday, according to one of his advisers.

The decision to single out a major U.S. corporation by joining a worker protest is unusual for a serious presidential contender in the midst of a campaign. Sanders' camp believes the last major Democratic candidate to do so would have been Jesse Jackson in 1988.

"This is what we should demand of candidates who say they're for working people -- that they take a stand and that they're proud to do it," said Larry Cohen, the Sanders adviser. Cohen previously served as the longtime president of the Communications Workers of America union.

Nearly 40,000 Verizon employees represented by CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are currently in a major contract battle with Verizon. CWA has also accused the telecom giant of retaliating against Verizon Wireless store employees who are union activists, charges that the company has denied.

Monday's protest is planned to take place at a Verizon Wireless store in midtown Manhattan, Cohen said. Verizon, which owns The Huffington Post, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-verizon-protest_562e4609e4b0ec0a38950e62

FWIW, my city's Tennessee for Bernie meeting with his national campaign team Saturday was at a CWA union hall down the street from my house (most of my city's union halls are on my side of town). One of the audience members mentioned this.

[portlander23]

1. Can you hear Bernie now?

[Fawke Em]

2. LOL!!

Good one!

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. OMG! I LOVE that man! This is what a true PEOPLE'S President should do. He truly represents us.

NOT the GREEDY, CORRUPT Corporations....like other candidates we know.

[silvershadow]

4. bump for getting back to our roots.

[mmonk]

5. He found his walking shoes.