strike

BARCELONA, Spain--University students reportedly protesting education spending cuts held a rally in front of Mobile World Congress today, choking traffic to and from the venue.

A large row of students stood in the roundabout in front of the Fira Barcelona, the event space for Mobile World Congress. Between the protesters and the Fira was a two-deep row of policemen decked out in riot gear.

The protests come as the wireless show--the largest such industry confab in the world--begins to wind down, with it's official end tomorrow. It had already narrowly missed a transit strike that would have halted subway … Read more

Verizon Communications has fired 40 employees involved in this summer's bitter labor strike for behavior the company said ranged from physical violence to making racial threats.

The company informed the employees by mail over the weekend of their terminations for violating the company's code of conduct while picketing a new contract, according to a Boston Globe report. More than 45,000 Verizon workers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states walked off the job to protest contract reduction offered by the company.

"We respect the rights of our employees to peacefully picket and protest during a strike. However, … Read more

The U.S. Army has successfully tested a hypersonic aircraft that can travel five times the speed of sound and reach anywhere on Earth in under an hour.

Described by the Pentagon as a "glide vehicle, designed to fly within the earth's atmosphere at hypersonic speed and long range," the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) was launched aboard a rocket from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii.

It hit a target at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, some 2,300 miles away, in less than 30 minutes, according to Department of Defense and AP reports. … Read more

Beware the mighty Wampug!

Kristen, a friendly veterinarian with a knack for arts and crafts, transformed her puppy into Luke Skywalker's worst nightmare.

"Every year I make a new costume for my pug Chubbs and this year was no exception," reads the YouTube video's description. "This year she became the dreaded Hoth Wampa from The Empire Strikes Back!"

OK, so "worst nightmare" is a stretch. But imagine a swarm of Wampugs. They would be... still pretty adorable.

This story originally appeared on CBSNews.com. … Read more

Netflix launches a video streaming channel for kids, a Chrome extension called Google Related shows content tied to the currently viewed page, and Sony drops the price of all its PlayStation 3 models by $50.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Verizon Communications plans to suspend health-insurance coverage and medical benefits for any worker still on strike, applying further pressure on employees who have been off the job for more than a week.

It's the latest escalation in a contract dispute between telecommunications workers facing competitive pressure on its legacy landline business and workers who don't want their benefits stripped away. The disagreement over benefits has caused 45,000 employees in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions to walk off the job on August 7, and has resulted in accusations of violence, illegal interference, and legal action.

The latest move … Read more

Verizon Communications workers on strike are taking to Facebook to organize demonstrations and call out companies and individuals who cross the picket lines, CNET has learned.

Workers have set up a Facebook page that has already garnered more than 5,400 members of the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The primary aim is to educate employees on the issue, create a level of solidarity among workers, and organize demonstrations.

While the use of social networks to rally people to a cause isn't new--Facebook was a catalyst in the Egyption revolution--it appears this is the … Read more

Verizon Communications' dispute with its landline workers is getting uglier as it moves from the bargaining table to the courtroom.

The company is seeking injunctions to limit the picket lines, as well as stop what it claims are acts of sabotage, harassment, and blocked access to its facilities. It has been granted statewide injunctions in New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, and is heading into court in Massachusetts and New Jersey today.

The escalating dispute calls into question the prospect of an immediate resolution to a strike that began over the weekend, when 45,000 workers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic … Read more

Verizon Communications Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo acknowledged today that he doesn't really know what will happen once the next version of the iPhone comes out, but said he had expected it to launch sooner.

While the iPhone 4 has been a successful draw for Verizon, the company expects a much larger boost when the next version arrives at the same time for both it and AT&T. The impact of the new Apple device will be a positive, but it's still unclear how much of a catalyst it will be. Partly due to high expectations for … Read more