Can You Hear Me Now?

And speaking of union-busting, 45,000 Verizon employees belonging to the Communications Workers of American union are on strike as their contract expired over the weekend.  Verizon apparently could care less. 

The strike, which began when the old contract expired yesterday at midnight, may delay service calls and disrupt installations for telephone and Internet service. The company has trained more than 40,000 managers and contractors to step into the roles of union workers, said Richard Young, a Verizon spokesman.

“We are confident that we have the talent and resources in place to meet the needs and demands of our customers,” Mark Reed, Verizon’s executive vice president of human resources, said in a statement.

Pretty much a sign of the times that Verizon is simply able to find and train 40,000 contractors in this economy and tell its union workforce to go to hell, but that's how far unions have fallen.  The bone of contention is of course health care:

Verizon wants workers to contribute more for health insurance, including paying monthly premiums for the first time, while the unions say their members can’t accept the financial burden, given the current economy. 

If the first thing that went through your mind was "Why shouldn't they pay health care premiums, I do" instead of "Why shouldn't Verizon invest in keeping their trained workforce healthy?" then congratulations, you understand exactly why Verizon will almost certainly win this fight, and why Republicans are doing everything they can to dismantle collective bargaining for everyone in America to our collective yawn.