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Union Members, Elected Officials To Rally Against Verizon Wireless for 'Retaliatory Firing' of Union Leader

Hundreds of Verizon wireline and wireless workers and elected officials -- including New York state Assemblymen Peter Abbate (D) and William Colton (D) and New York City Councilmen Daneek Miller (D) and Mark Treyger (D) -- are expected to rally…

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outside a Verizon Wireless store in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, said a news release from Communications Workers of America. Participants are asking the company to bring back Bianca Cunningham, a CWA union leader they said was being fired for "standing up for her rights, and [trying to] negotiate a fair contract," the union said. Verizon Wireless told Cunningham she will be terminated, and the company is targeting other union activists, CWA said. The union filed suit in a federal court against Verizon for unfairly firing Cunningham and expects to prevail, it said. A Verizon spokesman said the company doesn't comment on personnel matters. Contract negotiations between the company and CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are ongoing, he said. "Rather than stage meaningless protests and rallies, we believe the unions would be far better off focusing on the issues that still need to be resolved."