At&T;, Unions Continuing Contract Talks

Negotiators for AT&T Corp. and two of its largest unions continued contract talks Sunday, still seeking resolution of wage, pension and health care issues.

Both sides had hoped for a quick resolution after the unions had agreed to keep talking past a midnight strike deadline.

But the unions later said they weren’t entirely satisfied with progress overnight on proposals to shift health care costs to some retirees. Other issues also remained unresolved.

“Whatever optimism there was to be able to really drive toward a settlement reasonably quickly has been tempered,” said Jeffrey Miller, spokesman for the Communication Workers of America.

However, there was no talk of a new strike deadline.

“We believe genuine progress in these negotiations is being made,” said Herb Linnen, spokesman for AT&T. “The negotiators are resolute and resourceful, trying to resolve the issues that remain.”

Spokesmen for both sides said shortly before midnight Sunday that the exhausted negotiators planned to recess their talks soon and return to the table this morning.

AT&T is the nation’s largest longdistance telephone company. CWA represents about 90,000 of its workers, while the other union involved in the talks, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, represents 20,000.