Briefly

Verizon, union reach contract agreement

Verizon Northwest has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the union representing 450 of its workers in North Idaho and Eastern Washington.

The proposed five-year contract provides a wage increase and additional benefits for workers represented by the Communication Workers of America, Local 7670. Results of a ratification vote are expected by Dec. 1.

The contract would be effective through Sept. 26, 2009. It includes a one-time, lump sum payment of 4 percent for workers when the contract is ratified, plus a general wage increase totaling 10.5 percent over the duration of the contract; increased company contributions for retiree health care; an additional paid holiday; an improved medical plan for current employees; and an increase in pension contributions.

The union’s main objective during negotiations was to keep existing levels of medical and retirement benefits, said Dave Moore, president of Local 7670. The wages in the contract are on par with other large telecommunication companies, he said.

In addition, the proposed contract allows Verizon to hire temporary workers for up to three years. The company’s ability to hire temporary workers will reduce the need for outsourcing, Moore said.

The contract covers workers at two Verizon call centers in Coeur d’Alene. It also covers technicians and mechanics in Sandpoint, Moscow, Kennewick and Wenatchee.

Two new Internet domain names approved

New York Two new Internet domain names – “.post” and “.travel” – could appear online as early as next year as the Internet’s key oversight board announced preliminary approval on Wednesday.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, in advancing the applications for postal services and the travel industry, said they were still considering eight other proposals including “.asia,” “.jobs,” and “.xxx.” Separately, “.eu” for the European Union also is in the works.

ICANN said the decision on “.post” and “.travel” had less to do with relative merit and was primarily based on the level of details their sponsors were able to quickly provide.

There are currently about 250 domain names, mostly for specific countries like “.fr” for France.

In 2000, ICANN approved seven new domain names for global use, the first major additions since the Domain Name System was created in the 1980s. But the new names, including “.biz,” “.info” and “.museum,” aren’t as widely known or used as the more traditional “.com” and “.org.”

PayPal to waive fees following outages

San Jose, Calif. Online payment service PayPal said it will essentially waive transaction fees for some customers today to make amends for the inconvenience caused by about five days of intermittent service outages earlier this month.

An untold number of PayPal’s 56.7 million users were affected when online access was disrupted between Oct. 8 and Oct. 13 due to problems stemming from a sweeping upgrade of the PayPal system.

PayPal is a common method of payment for eBay auction purchases and is gaining in popularity among customers of other online retailers as well as in money transactions between individuals in the off-line world.

Today’s “Thank You Day” will apply to sellers using PayPal who are normally charged a fee ranging from 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent per transaction.

Couple ready to take over Met Theater

Mitch and Cindy Silver are set to take ownership in early November of the Metropolitan Performing Arts Theater from bankrupt Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities.

During a Wednesday hearing in federal bankruptcy court, the sale of the showy downtown Spokane theater was approved. It has been owned since 1986 by Metropolitan Mortgage.

The Silvers, who own Silver Collector Car Auctions, agreed to pay $808,000 for the property. The couple had stepped forward in April as potential buyers of the theater, known as the Met.

Proceeds from the sale will flow directly into Metropolitan Mortgage’s company coffers to pay ongoing bankruptcy costs or to be dispensed to creditors in the bankruptcy case.

The theater was restored by Metropolitan in the 1980s at a cost of $750,000 and is widely considered a community treasure.

Schweitzer to hold job fair

Sandpoint Schweitzer Mountain Resort will hold the first of three job fairs on Saturday to begin hiring for the ski season.

The Saturday job fair runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the resort’s Lakeview Lodge. A second job fair takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and another is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 6.

Managers will be on hand for interviews. A variety of part- and full-time positions are available. All Schweitzer employees receive a free season pass.

For more information, call (800) 831-8810; or visit www.schweitzer.com.

Cuba may expand use of euro

Havana Communist officials are thinking about extending the use of the euro beyond a few resorts for vacationing Europeans as the country moves to halt widespread use of the dollar, Cuba’s tourism minister said Wednesday.

Since Fidel Castro’s government decided to replace the dollar with the local Cuban convertible peso, authorities have been studying coordinating with Cuba’s Central Bank to extend the acceptance of the euro in other areas of the country, Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero said.

The euro now is accepted at several coastal resorts on this Caribbean island, including Varadero beach, east of Havana, and Jardines del Rey, located in a string of keys along the main island’s northern central coast.