Marc Jutras and his three kids were already facing a tough Christmas this year. Marc’s wife, Laura, passed away in 2013 after a long battle with cancer. But things are even tougher now thanks to the attack that Marc’s employer, FairPoint Communications, has launched against him and his co-workers.
Instead of putting the people of New England first, FairPoint has pushed for deep and damaging cuts in contract talks with Marc and his co-workers who work hard to maintain critical communications infrastructure. When the company refused to negotiate a fair deal, Marc and his 2,000 union brothers and sisters stood up for New England and went on strike.
Standing together and fighting for our rights at work is never easy. Can you take a moment this holiday season to send a message of solidarity and thanks to Marc and his fellow FairPoint strikers? Add a comment to their Facebook page letting them know you stand with them.
This is the biggest strike in America right now, and Marc and his co-workers – members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communications Workers of America – have been out for nine weeks.
The workers have offered FairPoint reasonable compromises since bargaining began in April. But FairPoint – whose major shareholders are Wall Street hedge funds – has refused to alter its demands for $700 million in devastating cuts to the workers’ health care and retirement security. The company is also pressing to outsource work to out-of-state and overseas contractors.
The fight at FairPoint is a fight over the future of our economy. Please post a message on the strikers’ Facebook page to show you stand with them in their fight to put the public interest before financial interests, and to stop corporations from turning good middle-class jobs into low-wage temp jobs.
The union workers of FairPoint believe in serving their customers, not kowtowing to the company’s greedy Wall Street owners.
With a tough winter ahead, the FairPoint workers are still standing strong, but they need our support and solidarity more than ever.
Elizabeth Bunn is Director of Organizing for the AFL-CIO.
Photo: Fairness at Fairpoint Facebook page
CONTRIBUTOR
Comments