THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508050294
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
The Communication Workers of America promises ``a scary situation for the consumer'' if more than 170,000 unionized telephone company workers walk off the job at midnight tonight as threatened.
The companies said that phone service would remain intact in the event of a strike.
Operators, repair workers, technicians and customer-service representatives will strike if contracts are not reached with five regional phone companies - including Bell Atlantic, the union said Thursday.
The president of the Richmond local said Friday the chances of a strike starting midnight tonight are about 50-50.
Members of the union gathered at Bell Atlantic's Virginia headquarters Friday as talks in Washington between the union and the telephone company remained at an impasse.
The union represents 6,651 telephone workers in Virginia, including about 1,200 workers in Hampton Roads. Bell Atlantic serves the Peninsula, Norfolk, Portsmouth, most of Suffolk, parts of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, and the Eastern Shore.
The union is threatening to strike against the regional telephone companies as three-year contracts end. Union officials say 170,000 telephone workers nationwide would walk off the job if a strike is called.
Richmond local president Richard Verlander said company proposals to take away paid health benefits from retirees are unacceptable. Retirees would have to pay from 2 percent to 10 percent of their pensions for health coverage under company proposals, he said.
Meanwhile, Bell Atlantic management said it is prepared to man the switchboards and make service calls in a strike, according to Paul Miller, a company spokesman for Bell-Atlantic Virginia. Customers might experience some delays with operator-assisted calls, directory assistance and when calling the Bell Atlantic business office.
Miller said there were sticking points in talks involving both the local, or individual, telephone companies, and the areas common to all five. He said wages, benefits and job security were issues.
Among the sticking points in Virginia is the use of contract maintenance for telephone lines and equipment that should be done by union workers, Verlander said.
The other affected companies are Ameritech, Bell South, Pacific Telesis and GTE of Southwest. by CNB