Picket signs and protest lines gearing up for action this week will have to be put away until further notice.
Members of local activist groups planning picketing demonstrations in front of Verizon Wireless on 3401 SW Archer Road have canceled the events at the request of the Communications Workers of America labor union.
Communications Workers, along with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, ignited a two-week workers strike against the corporate telephone service provider on Aug. 7, saying concessions were being made to contract items like health coverage, pensions and job security.
But the multistate strike, with some 45,000 workers, ended Saturday after Verizon said it would seriously consider contract negotiations. In response, the Communications Workers of America asked that affiliates across the nation postpone scheduled protests.
Strikers included workers in states from Massachusetts to Virginia working for Verizon's wire lines division, making this the largest strike in the U.S. since 2007.
No Verizon employees in Gainesville were on strike, but it was important to local activist groups to be ready to show their support.
Gainesville branches of Communications Workers of America, Fight Back Florida, the Alachua County Labor Party and the International Socialist Organization were gearing up for their own demonstrations.
The groups had scheduled storefront protests for the next four Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. to show their support for affected workers.
Secretary for the Gainesville branch of Industrial Workers of the World Robbie Czopek said fliers for the protest were circulating by Thursday.
He said even though workers in Gainesville aren't affected, it's about the solidarity of the working class.
"Attacks on workers are attacks on the working class," said Czopek, who was planning to attend the picketing. He said he expected some 50 attendees, which he deemed a success.
The New York Times reported that Larry Cohen, president of Communications Workers, considers Verizon's agreement to negotiate progress but not a victory.
Kimberly Hunter, community organizer for the Alachua County Labor Party, said she is confident that the labor unions will get what they want.
