SNEAKY STRIKERS….Ha ha. Via Nathan Newman, I learn that Verizon got all geared up for a strike, spent millions to bring in strikebreakers, and then the union decided to keep on working. How dare they? Here’s how the Village Voice put it:
Instead of walking out, the phone company unions went into a labor version of rope-a-dope, the brilliant Muhammad Ali boxing tactic of covering up and burrowing down while your opponent uselessly flails about, unable to land a solid blow. Replacement workers remained holed up in their hotels, representing a hefty added payroll as regular union workers went about their normal routines.
So instead of a frontal attack, the union is using guerrilla warfare instead. And of course when Verizon finally sends the strikebreakers home, the union still has the option to cause maximum havoc by calling a strike if negotiations are still going badly.
Clever of them, isn’t it?
