FairPoint Communications is accusing its unions and striking employees of intimidating the company’s temporary workers and intentionally causing disruptions “that threaten the safety of our employees” and “the service needs of our customers.”
FairPoint’s allegations came late Tuesday afternoon as a nor’easter with the potential to damage telephone lines began hitting New England.
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Nearly 2,000 FairPoint employees in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont went on strike at midnight Thursday after contract talks fell apart and the unions accused the company of failing to negotiate in good faith. Union members, including roughly 800 in Maine, picketed the company’s locations throughout the region for a fifth day Tuesday. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents about 1,700 of the total workers in the three-state region, while the Communication Workers of America represents nearly another 300.
In a statement, the North Carolina-based telecommunications company accused striking union members of intimidating FairPoint contractors, employees and customers; blocking company trucks; trespassing on customer property; and generally engaging “in conduct that impedes the work FairPoint is doing to meet customer needs.”
“This type of activity creates a dangerous environment for customers and workers,” FairPoint spokeswoman Angelynne Beaudry said in a statement.
The company also suggested the unions were involved in a campaign to jam the company’s customer service phone lines with “computer-generated” calls that have prevented customers from being able to reach company representatives.
Beaudry would not offer details on the phone jamming accusations. When asked Tuesday evening if the company is directly accusing the unions of the phone jamming, she said: “Based on the actions, it’s clear it’s union sympathizers. Whether it’s union members, we’re working to determine that.”
Peter McLaughlin, business manager at IBEW 2327 in Augusta, called the accusations “unfounded.” He said striking workers have remained within their legal rights when picketing at company’ locations in Maine and elsewhere. A police presence at each picket line has ensured that’s the case, he said.
McLaughlin said strikers also are allowed to set up picket lines wherever they find FairPoint’s temporary workers on the job, whether at a customer location or alongside a road working on telephone lines. As long as the picketers obey traffic laws and don’t obstruct traffic, that’s within their rights, he said.
The company has not released specific information about the alleged incidents. If it does, McLaughlin said the unions would take the accusations seriously and look into them.
“We’re not condoning any illegal activity,” he said Tuesday night. “Are people passionate about their jobs being replaced and a scab workforce coming in to take food out of their kids’ mouths? Yeah, there’s some high emotions and people passionate about their work, but we’re not condoning any violence or sabotage or anything like that.”
Regarding the phone-jamming accusations, McLaughlin was adamant.
“We are not doing that. The IBEW and CWA are not doing that, and if they have any evidence to the contrary I’d like to see it because it’s absolutely not happening,” he said.
However, as far as he knows, phone jamming is not illegal in Maine or Vermont, though it is in New Hampshire.
FairPoint reported that it has sent a formal letter to union leadership asking that the actions it’s alleging be stopped. If so, this represents the first formal interaction between the company and unions since before the workers went on strike.
When asked if the company has filed police reports on the incidents, Beaudry said the company has been “in touch with the appropriate authorities in these instances.”
Tom Welch, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which regulates portions of FairPoint’s landline business, said he had heard the phone-jamming accusations, but has no evidence to suggest the allegations are true. He said it’s not the PUC’s job to investigate activity he believes would be illegal.
“People can call the PUC if they have concerns or issues (with their telephone service) and we will follow up on them to the best of our ability,” Welch said Tuesday. “That’s really our role at this point – to do what we can to ensure service continues and repairs are made if they need to be made, but not to get in the middle of accusations getting hurled back and forth.”
The company is warning customers that the storm and heavy rains could “cause system disruptions,” Beaudry said, and that it’s “deploying all available resources to prepare for and respond to any storm-related impact.”
“We are mobilizing qualified and highly skilled managers, non-union employees and contractors to meet service needs and safeguard our networks,” she said.
McLaughlin at the IBEW said customers should brace for network disruptions during the storm as a result of FairPoint not having an adequate workforce in place.
“This is one of those situations where the weather, unfortunately, is not going to be good for our customers with the workforce on the sideline,” he said. “You can’t just replace 100 out there working with a handful of people. They’re already starting out behind, and this isn’t going to help.”
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