Verizon Strike Impacts Local Customers

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – As the Verizon strike continues, some local customers are feeling the impact.

Jim Gardler president of CWA local 13000 says 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike 2 weeks ago because they were worried about job security.

"Rather than give this company more ability to ship these calls to contractors and even ship them out of the country," says Gardler.

And that's had an impact on the service of Anne Howard from Yardley. She says Verizon told her she would be without cable, phone and internet for a week before someone could fix it.

"I threatened to change to Comcast but I'm not sure that that's any better so I'm not sure what I'm going to do," says Howard.

So we asked Harry Mitchell with Verizon communications, if the strike was having an impact on business.

"I can't tell you that! You know, some customers may have changed, some may come to us."

Mitchell says supervisors are stepping in to try and fill the workers' shoes. Much to Howard's dismay, Gardler says workers are committed to the strike and will stay off the job as long as necessary.

"It's just very frustrating," says Howard.

Reported By Hadas Kuznits, KYW Newsradio