PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Verizon’s attorneys are contesting a Rhode Island labor department ruling that makes 700 unionized employees eligible for unemployment benefits during the strike.
The Providence Journal reports (https://bit.ly/208tWY1 ) Scott Jensen, director of the state Department of Labor and Training, ruled earlier this month that employees are eligible for the benefits because they lost work due to a lockout rather than a strike.
But Verizon spokesman Richard Young says the ruling has no basis in fact. He says the employees aren’t working because of a strike, not a lockout. The company argued in court Wednesday that any unemployment payments should be suspended.
About 39,000 Verizon landline and cable workers on the East Coast walked off the job in April after months of little progress in negotiations.
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Information from: The Providence Journal, https://www.providencejournal.com
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