Unions begin 3 days of voting on FairPoint contract
Source: AP
BY DAVID SHARP
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Just a day after the announcement of a tentative agreement, more than 1,700 striking FairPoint Communications workers begin three days of briefings and ratification votes in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
The company, northern New England's primary landline provider, and unions declined to discuss details of the tentative agreement until workers were briefed. Pete McLaughlin, chairman of the unions' bargaining committee, said both sides are unhappy with parts of the proposal but he said the outcome of the negotiation was "fair" to both sides.
The first votes were to be held Friday. The outcome won't be disclosed until additional votes Saturday and Sunday are tallied. Regardless, workers return to their jobs Wednesday.
"I'm anxious to hear the details, and I'm anxious to get back to work," Matt Polo, a line worker based in Bangor, Maine, said Thursday after learning of the deal.
FULL story at link.
FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2015 file photo, Fairpoint employees Amber Lyman, left, and Julie Sawtelle picket outside the Fairpoint offices in Portland, Maine. Northern New England’s primary landline provider, FairPoint Communications, and two unions representing more than 1,700 workers announced Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 that they had reached a tentative agreement to end the four-month strike. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
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