….Well, actually, it’s feces and other objects like “nails, glass, cinder block, spikes, feces, clubs, rocks, screws, or puncture devices of any kind, or other object or debris…”

On Friday, a judge in New Jersey granted Verizon some relief from its striking unions by granting an injunction against International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 827–one of the two unions that has pulled 45,000 union members out on strike.

While injunctions are often issued during strikes when there are instances of mass picketing and the blocking of entrances and exits, the New Jersey injunction is somewhat unusual in that it also specified the aforementioned feces.

According to the Toms River News, NJ Supreme Court Justice Marybeth Rogers ordered that there should be no vandalism, violence, harassment, obstruction, intimidating, threatening, blocking, or trespassing.

Rogers also set restriction on picketing, allowing no more than six picketers at the entrance to any Verizon owned property at any one time. Picketers were also advise that no more than two picketers may picket a private residence of a Verizon employee and must stay more than 10 feet away from any Verizon individuals performing work on a private residence or business. Rogers’ decision also specified picketers may not have animals present or block any ingress or egress to prohibit movement of a Verizon contractor vehicle.

Striking workers have also been barred from entering inside of any Verizon properties unless they are performing their duties as Verizon employees under the direction of Verizon. Rules were also set for recording, video taping or photographing any individual at any Verizon or performing company.

Ironically, section J is one that would normally go without saying, yet is clearly stated:

”Dropping, spreading, throwing, placing or otherwise causing nails, glass, cinder block, spikes, feces, clubs, rocks, screws, or puncture devices of any kind, or other object or debris to be thrown or strewn in, on, or about Verizon’s driveways, parking lots, entrances, exits, vehicles and adjoining roads to any of Verizon’s property or at any work site.”

The order took effect immediately after its filing on August 11th. IBEW 827 agreed to the proposal and posted a $50,000 bond for payment of incurred future damages.

The injunctions have apparently been necessary due to incidents like this, where a Verizon manager appears to be blocked from getting into a Verizon vehicle by a striker:

While Verizon also obtained injunctions in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware, it is unknown whether dropping, spreading, throwing, or placing…feces made the list of things the unions could not do.

Frankly, we’re not sure how dropping, spreading, throwing, or placing feces onto the employer’s property helps advance the strikers’ cause–let alone the ‘middle class’ that the union claims to be fighting for.

Then again, that sort of behavior is more commonly perceived to be associated with the Teamsters, not your “friendly” telephone operator and lineman.

Can you smell them now?

For ongoing coverage of the unions’ strike against Verizon, go here.

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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Cross-posted.

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