While Verizon staffers in several states and Washington, DC, continue to picket their employer, there are reports of an increased number of sabotaged Verizon phone cables and boxes — 20 in one 48-hour period alone. Facing allegations that the vandalism is being done by striking workers, accusations the union denies having anything to do with.

“We have absolutely no information that any Verizon workers… are involved in any of these instances,” A rep for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers tells CNN. “This is more gamesmanship on Verizon’s part. It’s a way to turn the public sentiment against the strikers.”

While Verizon’s Chief Security Officer wouldn’t go so far as to publicly blame striking workers for the sabotage, he did have this message for those who would do damage to Verizon equipment:

When you cut cables, it’s not a crime against a faceless, monolithic company…it is a crime against individual people, American citizens, your neighbors, hospitals, police departments. It’s simply not a faceless act. there’s a consequence for cutting cables and those consequences can be fairly severe to those impacted by the cuts.

Can’t hear Verizon now? Blame sabotage [CNN]

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