Union Workers Strike After Us West Talks Fail

Sun., Aug. 16, 1998

Staff

About 34,000 union workers went on strike against US West Inc. early this morning after two days of negotiations with a federal mediator failed to resolve a contentious contract dispute centering on a controversial performance-pay plan.

The Communications Workers of America members, including operators, customer-service representatives and field technicians in a 14-state region, walked off the job at midnight when their current three-year pact expired.

In downtown Spokane on Saturday night, about 70 members from the Local 7818 marched with picket signs and balloons outside the US West building at 501 W. Second Ave.

“US West will not bargain in good faith,” said Spokane strike committee chairman John Borkman. “We just want to keep what we’ve got plus a share of what the company makes.”

As workers counted down to the expiration of their contract, the crowd’s mood remained positive.

“We’re confident of success,” Borkman said. “Strikes always work.”

Company officials dispatched about 15,000 managers across the region to handle operator assistance tasks and other critical jobs. They said customers can expect some delays in repairs, installation and directory assistance calls, but there should be little effect on automated phone service.

It was the first time employees have struck US West since it was created in the 1984 breakup of AT&T.

Although two other Baby Bells, BellSouth and Bell Atlantic, reached tentative contracts with the CWA last week, officials at US West and the union were unable to agree on the company’s plan to base salary increases on job performance. US West is the first Baby Bell to propose such a pay structure.

Under the company’s proposal, all workers would receive 100 percent of the base salary, with the option of earning up to 20 percent more by meeting targets, such as completing a preset number of repair calls within a specific time period. Failing to meet the goals would not affect base pay.

Employees who are hired before Jan. 1 could choose whether to participate in the new plan, but it would be mandatory for anyone hired after that date.

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