Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Jed Boal ReportingTwo thousand Qwest workers in Utah say they are prepared to go on strike, but the phone company says if they do, you shouldn't notice any changes in your phone service.
Nearly 25-thousand Qwest Communications workers are working without a contract after talks stalled between the company and its largest union. Two thousand Qwest workers in Utah say they will strike if they have to.
There's no strike yet, but Qwest workers are holding an informational picket right now, handing out information to let co-workers know where the negotiations stand. Both sides want an agreement, but there's no deal now. Workers stacked picket signs today and say they will strike if talks in Denver fail.
Karen Pearce, Qwest Customer Communications Technician: "If negotiations start to fall down then we're going to have to end up walking out. At any time we could walk."
The contract expired midnight Saturday. Workers' concerns boil down to health care, pension, and mandatory overtime for workers in 13 states. The company needs to reduce its overall debt in a competitive industry. The local union president calls negotiations frustrating.
Kent Anderson, Communication Workers of America President Local 7704: "There's going to be a fine balance of what the company can afford and what we can expect to get for our employees. If we can get that worked out, we'll get an agreement."
Karen Pearce has worked for Qwest and its predecessors for 28 years.
Karen Pearce, Qwest Customer Communications Technician: "I think Qwest is a good company to work for, and I think we provide good service to our customers."
Her parents were career workers at the phone company so she knows the anxiety of negotiations.
Karen Pearce, Qwest Customer Communications Technician: "Everyone that's there needs their paycheck, or we wouldn't be there. We have to stand together to get the benefits and pay that we have now."
A company spokesman in Denver says the company and the unions continue to bargain and the company is optimistic an agreement will be reached soon. The spokesman would not comment on specifics in the bargaining, but says customer service will not suffer if there is a strike."
Kent Anderson, Communication Workers of America President Local 7704: "If we get the call from our leadership to go on strike, we will."
But that leads to uncertainty.
Karen Pearce, Qwest Customer Communications Technician: "You don't know when you're going back to work, you don't know if it's going to be two weeks, two months, two years. It's too hard to deal with."
The workers say both sides know the game, they do this every three years, both sides know what it takes to get the contract signed.
