Qwest workers don’t walk out

08/15/2005

DENVER—Nearly 25,000 Qwest employees in Minnesota and 12 other states, who had agreed to strike beginning at 1 a.m. Sunday, remained on the job without a contract as talks continued.

A bargaining team with the Communications Workers of America spent much of Sunday in caucus and briefing members on the negotiations. Among the key issues were health care and other benefits for employees and retirees, but issues such as wages remained unsettled.

“The big stumbling block is active and retiree health care issues,” Tim Lovaasen, president of the Twin Cities CWA Local 7200, said Sunday afternoon.

Lovaasen said union negotiators were considering the company’s latest offer. “We’re in a waiting game,” he said. “Our people are working without a contract, which means the national could call a strike at any time.”

Qwest Communications International Inc. agreed to drop its proposal to increase mandatory overtime from eight hours a week to 16 hours a week, but there was no agreement on other key issues, the union said.

Qwest spokesman Bob Toevs said the company was bargaining in good faith but declined to offer specifics. “We’re looking forward to closing down on an agreement,” he said.

The workers’ contract expired at midnight Saturday. Negotiations lasted 20 hours until they broke off about 5 a.m. Sunday. They resumed Sunday night.

The union’s executive board has authorized the president to set a strike date, and that could happen at any time, said CWA spokeswoman Candice Johnson said.

Both Qwest and the union have made contingency preparations if there is a strike. The company has set up a schedule to deploy managers across its region for such duties as installation and customer service.

Besides Minnesota, Qwest has operations in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and Utah.