FARMINGTON – Standing along a line painted out front of a FairPoint Communications office on Main Street, seven striking workers waved as passing motorists honked their horns on a soggy Wednesday morning.
Protest signs held up by the six linemen and one dispatcher – all local residents and members of Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – announced “on strike against FairPoint” and “honk if you support the striking workers.”
Sgt. Michael Adcock of the Farmington Police Department sat in his cruiser nearby to keep an eye on things. He said the local police department’s mission since the detail began on Friday morning is to protect FairPoint’s property, to make sure replacement workers coming and going aren’t harassed and that striking workers don’t cross a line painted across the parking lot.
“They know what they can and can’t do,” Adcock said of the picketing workers, adding, “they’re a good group of guys.”
Bundled against the start of a wet day, Jim Jordan of Farmington, a linemen for 16 years, smiled and said he’s been on the picket line since the start on Friday.
Approximately 2,000 employees of FairPoint, a telecommunications company based out of North Carolina, went on strike Thursday, Oct. 16 at midnight. The unions representing the workers have accused FairPoint of ignoring their proposals and illegally imposing conditions. The company maintains that the two sides have reached an impasse, which led to them implementing their proposals on Aug. 28, and is willing to respond to a counter-proposal that “meaningfully addresses the core issues of these negotiations,” according to a company statement released shortly after the strike began.
The unions’ collectively-bargained contract expired on Aug. 2.
Jordan said the company wants pensions to stop, workers to start contributing to health insurance and wants to cut healthcare benefits at retirement. FairPoint also wants to be able to hire outside contractors at will.
The major issue, Jordan said, is that any “job security has gone away.” He said the union is willing to make $200 million worth of concessions but FairPoint wants $700 million worth.
“We’re trying to negotiate, but if your first offer is your last offer, that’s tough to do,” Jordan said.
The company, in a statement released Oct. 17, argued that it is trying to bring health care and pension benefits in line with what it believes is “mainstream” for regional employees, and transition union employees to the same benefit plans offered to non-union employees. The previous contract, FairPoint spokesperson Angelynne Beaudry said in the release, had the company paying 100 percent of employee healthcare premiums, unlimited paid sick days and a pension plan with no employee contribution.
The company’s changes, which were implemented on Aug. 28, require that employees contribute for healthcare benefits, allows for the hiring of contractors and eliminates retiree healthcare benefits for current employees.
“We believe these changes are fair to our employees while enabling the company to provide modern telecommunication products and services to our customers, communities and states at a competitive price,” Beaudry said.
Farmington Police Department is providing on-site security at the Main Street location through special outside detail paid for by FairPoint. According to Farmington Police Department secretary Bonnie Pomeroy, the department receives $45 per hour to pay for an officer’s overtime and $90 per day to cover the cost of the cruiser. FPD has been contracted through Oct. 31, assuming the strike continues, after which Pomeroy said a private firm would likely take over security arrangements.
The practice of special details is not a unusual one; FPD has provided security at the Farmington Fair, for Walmart on Black Friday and at the Narrow Gauge Cinema immediately following the Aurora, Colo. shooting in 2012. In each case, Pomeroy said, the company or organization pays the department, with officers either picking shifts or being assigned time slots as necessary.
Pomeroy echoed Adcock’s comments, noting that there had been no problems reported in Farmington.
“Absolutely no issues,” she said Wednesday. “Everyone’s been very civil, orderly.”
Regionally, the unions and company have exchanged accusations. FairPoint has complained of significantly higher than usual call volumes at some call centers, claiming that the traffic is computer-generated and malicious, intending to interfere with customer calls. The company has also recently alleged that contractors and employees have been intimidated, trucks have been blocked and property has been trespassed upon.
The unions responded by asking FairPoint to provide evidence regarding those allegations, noting that employees may legally picket company facilities and work sites. Union representatives called suggestions of intimidation “outrageous and unfounded” in an Oct. 21 press release.
The unions have expressed concerns that FairPoint’s replacement technicians may be incapable of dealing with the wet and windy conditions anticipated over the next 24 hours as a nor’easter storm is expected to drop as much as six inches of rain throughout portions of the state. The replacement workers’ inexperience could lead to interruptions in service, a worker indicated in a statement released Tuesday.
FairPoint has said that it has deployed additional resources to respond to storm-related issues.
It’s telling that Fairpoint doesn’t know that they are an independent company, and, further, they don’t know what a Union is.
so sad…. you really cant trust unions anymore… and no job anymore is secured unfortunately
Wow…health care for nothing?
Fairpoint is probably breaking the union to prepare for selling the company to even less capable investors. We started with AT&T and have steadily descended to Fairpoint, which many experts told us would be unable to effectively operate, and they were right. Imagine what’s coming. (Hint: It ain’t AT&T)
“Sammy” why can’t you trust unions anymore? The unions are doing their jobs. They are looking out for hard working Americans like myself. The article says the unions have tried to make concessions toward the company in the amount of $200 million. To me that sounds like the unions are trying to make things work for everyone. You should do some research and find out what unions have done for the labor movement in this country.
“Po’Taxpayer” it isn’t healthcare for nothing!! If the company wasn’t paying for the heath care then the wages would be higher. Nothing is for nothing. I am a union worker and my company also pays for my health care. When anybody goes into a job interview they haggle and negotiate with the potential employer. The difference is without the union an employer can take away what you negotiated for at will and you either deal with it or move on. The union’s job is to keep the company honest and hold them to something close to their word.
Who keeps the Unions honest? I remember the strike at the IP mill back in the 80’s. I was a young kid then but I remember my cousin crossing the picket lines to work and people were throwing stuff at his car and threatening him. I am not big on Unions and if you are not content with the amount of money your making or that you might have to pay some health premiums. . . too bad! Times have changed. At least you still have a decent paying job. Greed is destroying the world.
Unions are necessary. History has proven that. A hundred years ago, without unions, this country had children as young as 6 working long days in the mills and mines, for pennies. Adult workers were paid peanuts to work 12 hour days in conditions insanely dangerous. When they got hurt on the job, it was tough luck — can’t use you anymore. Unions created the middle class in this nation, and higher wages allowed workers to actually be able o buy the stuff that was manufactured, enabling the businesses to grow and profit. Win – win.
Fairpoint is another crummy southern company, and Mr. knight is correct: we knew they were over their head when they got the business from Verizon.
And Jim Jordan, is, as the officer noted, a good guy. He and his fellow workers deserve proper treatment.
What I see is that Fairpoint wants to eliminate good benefits… in order to bring their employees in line with the “mainstream” in our region!
An excellent benefit package like that should draw in and retain excellent workers. Cutbacks to major benefits will only serve the shareholders, not the customer or the employees.
I wish them luck, but….. How healthy is Fairpoint. How many people are putting in landlines. Most people are slowly taking them out. And the strike as part of labor relations is unfortunately outdated and as we have seen both locally and across the country does not get the results it once did. Only the workers will suffer. Hopefully they get to keep their jobs. Hopefully they will go back to work and continue to negotiate. The days of fully paid health insurance has unfortunately gone away.
ChiefJay, You are wright, A hundred years ago we did need unions and they did help the workers get fair wages and a safer work site, But now with all the labor laws and OSHA along with state and federal laws, IT seems that the union workers at least the good ones are just paying dues so that the union fat cats can sit back and live a very good life on the backs of hard working union workers. I thing it may be time to revamp the union….. IT could be better and fair for both workers and companies. Just a though.
To Hard working…..
I don’t work for a union and an employer has never, in my 25 years working FT, taken away what they have promised. I guess I am lucky (?)
Problem is the unions are just as corrupt as any corporation,,
Well,,,they ARE a corporation (well funded too I might add).
The Union had it’s place and in the past accomplished a lot.
I’m pretty sure if the Union Folks who started the Labor Movement are rolling over in their graves at the corruption that has taken over.
UNION “VS” BIG BUSINESS
Just 2 Goliaths with the Little Man caught in the middle.
Go Back To Work Before You Lose Your Good Jobs…
Fairpoint jacked up the cost of my service and everything went down hill from there. And the service certainly wasn’t the same. Now the workers are on strike and I was afraid everything would get worse. My service is better than ever. Not a single problem since the strike. Always been a supporter of unions but this makes me wonder who or what the real issue with my service has been since they took over. If a strike is going to improve my service reliability as a customer, I hope they stay on strike.
Strike Helps Me:
Look up “Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc,” and then re-read your comment. Classic logical fallacy.
All I can say is that if you don’t like Fair Point as an employer go find a better job.
Lauri Sibulkin
Rather than say the age of the ‘union’ is over try the idea that what unions strive for is what every American should be able to expect once we land a job. As a ski patrolman in Maine I put my knees and shoulders on the line every day for no benefits, wages so low ($8.00/hr to start in 2009) that I could not pay my daily bills, and no relief in sight. I was also limited to no more than 40 hours per week. As a patrolman and a member of a collective bargaining unit (Union) coincidentally affiliated with the Brotherhood of Communication Workers here in Utah I started at $10.50 and over 3 seasons have jumped to over $14.00 an hour. I can buy into the company’s health care plans, I receive double the equipment allowance begrudgingly paid in Maine, and I can work overtime when conditions warrant.
Why do so many people react so critically to the mere mention of a union? Why is it bad for a person that dangles out in a cherry picker at below zero temps, plays with enough amperage to fry the entire UMF campus, and misses sleep every time some drunk clips a power pole, to want a good enough living to actually LIVE a little? Since when is it only the entitled rich stock holder of CMP, Fairpoint and the rest that “deserve” company healthcare, retirement and fat bonus checks.
Yes, there is a fair amount of abuse in the union world. No question. How can a fellow be worth $$$$ just to run a team of robots that make cars? Sounds over the top to me. But why do you begrudge the men and women that freeze and fry and once in a while die keeping your power on? Why would you snarl at Ski Patrolers and EMT’s and anyone else that puts in their 40 or 50 hours a week and wants an affordable pay check for their efforts.
Get off you top 1%er advertizing induced artificial attitudes. Give these workers you support. They deserve it far more than do the suit and tie crowd or the stock holders.
Lauri Sibulkin, economic refugee from Maine
PS I work non union construction during the summers. Just a grunt like the rest of you.
Lauri Sibulkin
In the 1950’s, union membership was at an all time high. Dad made enough money so mom could stay at home with the kids, just like you “family values” types like it. Slowly, union membership went down. Then in the 1980’s, President Reagan (you remember him, the only President in U.S. History to give amnesty to illegal aliens), fired the air traffic controllers. This was the beginning of the end of unions. Corporate titans, seeing what the President had done, became emboldened. They declared all out war on unions. In the following decades union membership took a nosedive as corporations busted unions, with the help of “replacement workers”, better known as scabs. Not coincidently, wages for ALL workers, became stagnant, and remain so today. The fact is, whether you like unions or not, having strong unions raises everybody’s wages. When there are strong unions, companies tend to take better care of their employees so as to keep the union out of their shop. The middle class is disappearing and it’s not because of all those people on welfare. It’s because corporations have shipped many of the good jobs overseas, and with the help of their well paid talking heads, have demonized unions. Everybody is entitled to their beliefs. As for me I’ll go union every time.
Why is it ok for the common person to just be happy with what you get? We have allowed ourselves to settle for less than what we deserve! Hiding behind the idea that “the times are changing”, which is all to common now should make us all shudder. The times are changing because we don’t do anything about it so good for these union workers to stand up for themselves. If we keep allowing “big business” to make “benefits in line with what it believes is “mainstream” for regional employees” then we will be back to where we were 100 plus years ago. I cant imagine anyone wants to see that?
Don’t we want to keep good jobs in Maine? Local’s IBEW 2327 and CWA 1400 are striking against FairPoint to ensure that the jobs they hold are not contracted out to people who don’t care about your communities. Call center work could be sent out of state, or worse, out of the country, and Joe Schmo from Idaho could come to your home to fix your telephone or dsl issue. These UNION workers are not greedy, only fighting against corporate greed. They are fighting to give generations to come a chance at a GOOD MAINE JOB.
Well said,Lauri and Union Guy. It’s important to hear from those who do the actual work of this country.
Well said, Lauri. Eloquent and down home and full of common sense, as usual.
but they can keep there doctors .
What ? only one cop? where is the army of on duty cops?
Union costs jobs.
Company Exec pay for Fairpoint: http://www1.salary.com/FAIRPOINT-COMMUNICATIONS-INC-Executive-Salaries.html
Working conditions, pay, medical coverage and benefits are all worth being concerned about, and bargained for.
Big companies that used to pay retiree medical and defined pensions, are running away from these benefits.
The top guys have pretty substantial pay and benefits, and are trying to lead the company out of bankruptsy, what is fair for those that take the physical risks for the company? Those that work in all conditions, and time of day or night?
Unions formed and still exist to give strength in negotiating fair wages, benefits and working conditions for the men and women that are closest to the physical work. Those needs still exist today in all businesses.
Fairpoint team: Good luck and stay safe!
These strikers are going to strike themselves right out of a job. Count on it. NO company pays benefits like this anymore. This union will walk these workers right over the cliff, just like they did to the workers for IP back in 1987. The only good union is one that has just been de -certified.
duxndrakes, you are wrong. I work for a company that does indeed pay benefits like this. The problem is there are too many people like yourself who are anti-union and seemingly willing to work for little or nothing. As I said before, when there are strong unions all workers benefit. You may be right about the Fairpoint strikers losing their jobs, because there always seems to be scabs willing to rush in and take the good jobs that others worked so hard to create. I salute the Fairpoint workers for taking a stand, as someone has to do it. The middle class is disappearing due to corporate greed, and too many workers have bought into the right wing’s talking points that unions are bad, bad, bad. You can have both union representation and a strong company. The company I work for is proof of that.