For approximately a week, 45,000 union employees from Verizon have ganged together to boycott a new contract offered by the company. Under their recently expired contracts, union members at Verizon received $50,000 in benefits per year—more than entire income of the average American working household. The new union contract proposed by Verizon asks employees to make a monthly premium contribution of as little as $100.  This, evidently, has not sat well with union employees who currently pay nothing toward their health care.

The Verizon strike has grown particularly ugly in the past few days. In one Pittsburgh suburb, union members from Verizon have tried to block non-union employees from leaving the company’s offices by using chains and locks to close the exit. In many cities along the east coast, union workers intentionally cut fiber-optic lines, impeding phone, television, and Internet services for many Verizon customers. This behavior is not only juvenile, but extremely dangerous for customers trying to reach fire and police services via telephone.

In addition to this disturbing behavior, many non-union employees have reported union members spitting at them, throwing objects at them, and even engaging in physical altercations with them. In order to deal with this, Verizon had to file a court injunction to prevent the strikers from blocking employees from leaving Verizon offices or otherwise interfering with the company’s business.

The Verizon strike has brought forth a new level of union thuggery. In response to Verizon’s practical request for a small premium contribution toward health care, union workers have taken to engaging in this disgusting behavior, taking for granted the fact that they have a job in this tough economy. With one union worker placing his daughter in front of a non-union worker’s moving truck, it is shocking to see how far these union members will go to get their way.