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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 1998
U S West strike enters second week
Negotiators make no progress on larger issues such as performance-based pay
By STEVEN K. PAULSON
Associated PressDENVER - Thousands of U S West workers began their second week on the picket lines in 13 states as negotiators went back to the bargaining table Monday in efforts to end the strike.
In Connecticut, meanwhile, phone customers braced for delays after thousands of workers walked off the job over the weekend. Some customers experienced problems reaching operators and customer service, although most direct-dial calls went through without delays.
Bargaining resumed between U S West Inc. and the Communications Workers of America, which represents 34,000 workers across the West. The walkout involves operators, customers sales representatives and technicians.
U S West officials acknowledged some delays for new installation and repairs requiring technicians, but said 99 percent of calls were going through without problems.
``We know there are still problems out there, and we appreciate our customers' continued patience. But our 15,000 managers have been working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week to maintain regular phone service,'' said company spokesman Jerry Brown.
Negotiators for both sides met for five hours Sunday. They have made progress on minor issues, but have been unable to agree on mandatory overtime, health care benefits and a plan to tie pay to job performance.
Although some telecommunications companies have an incentive-pay plan for teams or units of employees, U S West, the nation's sixth-largest telephone company, is the first Baby Bell to propose a performance-pay plan for individuals.
U S West has about 25 million customers in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Employees in Montana, covered by another union, have continued to work.
In Connecticut, more than 6,000 workers walked off their jobs at Southern New England Telecommunications Corp., which serves nearly all of the state's 3 million residents.
Company officials had hoped to extend the contract while bargaining continued. But when the deadline arrived with no agreement, the Connecticut Union of Telephone Workers and the affiliated CWA walked out. Among the disputed issues are wages and health benefits.
SNET officials said customers would not notice disruptions in making regular telephone calls. Until the strike ends, however, only essential repairs and installations of new service will be done.
Jeff Kagan, an industry analyst with Kagan Telecom Associates in Atlanta, said the strike in Connecticut is proof of a major shakeup in the industry as larger companies try to compete for local service, as they did for long-distance service a decade ago.
``Frankly, this is a clear illustration of the clash between the old market and the new,'' he said.
``In the past, when the phone companies had no competition, they found it was cheaper to settle with the union and they could pass their costs on to customers,'' he said. ``They can't do that anymore.''
Two other Baby Bells, BellSouth and Bell Atlantic, reached tentative contracts with the union earlier this month.
Kagan said the unions at BellSouth and Bell Atlantic won small pay increases, but U S West is instead fighting to win concessions from its union. He said although the issues are different in the SNET strike, ``the root problem is the same.''Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web