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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Qwest workers authorize strike if talks falter

From wire reports

DENVER — As a contract deadline approaches, some 25,000 Qwest Communications International Inc. workers in 14 states have agreed to authorize a strike if ongoing contract negotiations collapse, the Communication Workers of America union said Friday.

The two sides continued Friday to haggle over key issues — such as health care, wages and a mandatory overtime policy — to try to reach a new contract before the current pact expires at midnight today.The Denver-based telephone company’s mandatory overtime policy has become a key issue in the negotiations.

Many major phone companies have some form of mandatory overtime requirement that helps during emergencies or weather-related problems, said Candace Johnson of the CWA’s national office. Qwest employees speculated the company uses the policy to avoid hiring new employees.

Qwest officials declined comment on the progress of the talks or proposal specifics.

In Eastern Washington, about 200 Qwest employees are members of the Communications Workers union. About 120 of those people work in Spokane. Most are technicians, said Sean Morrow, president of CWA Local 7818.

Both sides in the dispute have reached tentative agreements on some points but the pace of the talks is “very, very slow,” said Annie Hill, CWA District 7 vice president. “We’ve not reached agreement on any item of significance,” she said. Both sides want to avoid a strike but have made standard plans in case negotiations collapse.

In the past several years, Qwest has eliminated thousands of jobs as it has struggled with a multibillion-dollar debt and government probes of its financial statements.