Verizon workers picket Manassas area wireless store

Union wokers for Verizon told passersby and customers at the Verizon Wireless store on Sudley Road they were on strike.

Workers at Local 2201 picketed in front of the store about 1 p.m. Friday. They held signs stating “fighting corporate greed.”

This was the second stop for these striking workers today. This morning, the same group picketed in front of their home garage off Prince William Parkway in western Prince William County.

When not on strike, these workers lay telephone landlines and install Verizon’s FiOS internet service. Workers chose to protest outside Verizon Wireless store on Sudley Road near Manassas Mall because it is a very viable location along the busy six-lane Sudley Road.

“We’re getting a lot of support out there,” said Joseph Dewein, of Winchester, with Communications Workers of America. “This is all about benefits…401ks… Verizon is trying to do away with the middle class.”

Workers from New York to Florida went on strike Wednesday. It’s the latest move in a labor dispute that’s been ongoing since June.

Verizon says the landline business is shrinking, and it is trying to respond to the changing demands of customers.

Verizon brought in non-union workers as temporary replacements for unionized employees. Verizon customers, however, were warned that more problems could crop up if the strike continues.

Prince William police were called to the Verizon Wireless store on Sudley Road at 1:15 p.m. Friday after a report of a protester that was blocking customers from entering the store’s parking lot.

“We don’t impede the customers,” said Dewine.

The officer left the scene about 1:30 p.m. No one was arrested.