FairPoint, CWA, IBEW in Pact to End New England Strike by Wednesday
FairPoint Communications and the northern New England chapters of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) said they reached a tentative accord on new collective bargaining agreements. The sides set a Wednesday end-date for…
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a monthslong strike of more than 1,700 of the telco's workers. The CWA- and IBEW-affiliated workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have been on strike since October, when negotiations for a new contract broke down. The strike has since prompted complaints about FairPoint’s service quality in the three states and attracted scrutiny from members of the states’ congressional delegations and state officials. The company, CWA and IBEW had been in Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service-mediated negotiations since early January (see 1501020042, 1501050045 and 1501280062). FairPoint and the unions didn’t disclose details on the new agreements. The parties said in a joint Thursday news release that they “will address, in meaningful and constructive ways, the objectives of the parties and that the new labor agreements will provide employees with wages and benefits that are among the best in northern New England.” They said the new agreements will let the telco “achieve a much more competitive position in the marketplace." The 1,700 striking workers will need to vote on the pacts before they go into effect.