The IBEW and the Communications Workers of America announced early on Sunday that their Verizon workers would be going on an immediate strike. This strike is a result of Verizon's intransigence in their "long list of concession demands," according to the Communications Workers union. Verizon claims that their land-line division is struggling, and therefore the company's financial health is at risk. The union, on the other hand, claims that Verizon's overall business is thriving.
See "Citing Stalemate, Verizon Workers Strike", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, August 7, 2011