Why Are Sprint Workers on Strike? Because the Company Has Turned Its Back on Us -- and on You. (N.C.) October 19, 2005 Some things are worth fighting for -- and that's why local telephone workers have gone on strike against Sprint Nextel. We're taking a stand because Sprint is demanding extreme contract concessions from workers and their families while it continues to rake in huge profits. Sprint wants to slash our health care benefits, cut disability benefits in half, take away overtime pay when we're required to work Sundays, and reduce time off with our families. All this from a company that collected over $6 billion in revenues last year from local telephone customers. But Sprint Nextel's greed isn't just affecting employees. It's affecting communities, too, in the mostly rural areas Sprint serves. The telecom giant has siphoned off over $8 billion in profits from local phone service from 1998-2003 to invest in its big city wireless and data networks. Service has declined and too many customers are still waiting for high speed Internet, even as Sprint increased its rates this year in many areas. Now that Sprint has merged with Nextel, it's planning to spin off local phone service and walk away from our community entirely. But not before it tries to squeeze millions more in contract concessions from its workers -- your neighbors, the people who work hard to bring you quality phone service. Please support us in our fight for fairness and for quality service. Send Sprint Nextel a message: You can't run roughshod over working people here in North Carolina. Please Support Sprint Strikers. Some Things Are Worth Fighting For. To view the full ad, click here. (Acrobat 280K)