In a display of affection reminiscent of John Cusack's performance in Say Anything, activists delivered a special Valentine’s Day message to Verizon Wireless in Boston this afternoon. Invoking the 80’s classic film, forlorn citizens brought candy and flowers to a Copley-area store – complete with an overhead boom box blaring Peter Gabriel’s “Your Eyes” – hoping to coax Verizon back to the table in long-stalled bargaining discussions with local workers.
 
The romantic gesture is the latest attempt to highlight Verizon’s unwillingness to bargain with workers over wages, health care, retirement benefits and job security issues. To date, the corporate giant has pushed unacceptable contracts that would result in mass layoffs, diminished retirement plans, and skyrocketing healthcare costs – refusing to engage employees in any meaningful dialogue on cost-saving alternatives. At the same time, Verizon has rewarded its chief executives with outrageous salaries – sums that have outpaced the company’s tax bill in recent years.

Just as Diane Court denied the outdoor overtures of John Cusack’s Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything, the group of amorous activists left empty-handed, but undeterred. “Show some love, Verizon!” exclaimed one love-struck activist. “We brought you flowers and candy – we hope you’ll come back to the table.”