Verizon terrified of union organizing fliers, takes down US vet's flag as "offensive and propaganda"

Story courtesy of the International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers and The Communication Workers Of America

Terry's Story...

A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Terry recently returned from his third tour duty in the Middle East. He is a genuine patriot and has proudly flown his unit's American flag over the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan.

When he's not defending our country overseas, Terry Skiest works as a technician for Verizon Business. For three years, Terry displayed his American flag outside his cubicle. But when Terry left his flag hanging outside his cubicle during his last tour in Afghanistan, Verizon Business removed it.

A co-worker of Skiest's reported that a local manager said that the American flag "could be considered to be propaganda" and "might be offensive to some workers."

Terry isn't trying to organize workers against VZB - he just wants to put the flag back up on his wall. Tell Verizon Business to put up Terry's flag.

From the E-Active e-mail

For three years, Terry displayed his unit's American flag outside his cubicle -- a flag that was flown over Iraq and Afghanistan. But while Terry was serving his last tour in Afghanistan, Verizon Business removed the flag. A co-worker of Skiest's reported that a local manager said that the American flag "could be considered to be propaganda" and "might be offensive to some workers."

This is outrageous. Terry Skiest is not attempting to spread propaganda -- he just wants to honor the flag he so valiantly fought for.

You can send an E-Mail to let Verizon know that they are out of line and to tell Verizon to put up the flag!

Heres more info on how this all came to happen

Verizon Business, formerly MCI, goes to extreme lengths to silence its employees and prevent their efforts to unionize. Just three months ago, two National Labor Relations Board regional directors charged Verizon Business with "interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights" to join a union that are supposedly protected by federal labor law.

According to a report by American Rights at Work:

The Verizon Business division, which houses approximately 2,500 technicians, is a non-union, lower-tiered operation. Though Verizon Business techs perform virtually the same work as their union counterparts at Verizon Telecom, according to the techs interviewed for this report, they are denied the higher wages, fully-paid health benefits, and pension plan offered by the union contract.

Terry Skiest is one of those 2,500 employees - and his American flag is being dragged into the middle of this labor dispute.

Verizon employees are outraged by Terry's story. Technicians are standing in solidarity with their Terry Skiest -- and all of our troops serving in the armed forces -- by displaying hundreds of flags in cubicles all along the East Coast.

You can stand in solidarity with Terry Skiest and our brave men and women in uniform by sending a message to Verizon now!

Verizon Business says that "great companies are judged by what they do, not by what they say."

For over 200 years, our military has defended our right to free speech and assembly. If VZB is as great of a company as they claim they are -- and a company willing to take billions of dollars in U.S. government contracts - then they need to put this soldier's flag back on their wall.

It's the American thing to do.