Most union employees of FairPoint Communications can nearly triple their salaries within three or four years of being hired by the company. Many employees – including those who work on the lines, such as inspectors and technicians – can eventually earn as much as $80,000 or $90,000 a year in base salary.

Those details are contained in the recently expired contracts between FairPoint and its unions, copies of which were obtained by the Portland Press Herald.

While acknowledging that they have a good contract, union members argue that the company is seeking too much in concessions and is refusing to negotiate with them on a new deal.

Employees who belong to the two unions, Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, have been on strike since Oct. 17 over a contract impasse with FairPoint.

The company has asked for $700 million in concessions, mostly by freezing pensions, eliminating health coverage for retirees and asking employees to contribute to health care premiums. The unions have offered roughly $200 million in concessions, and say FairPoint has not budged from its $700 million figure.

Although the strike is not directly about wages, the contracts obtained by the Press Herald reveal the dispute’s economic context.

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“I have already said that we understand we have a very rich contract. It’s the best agreement in the country,” said Pete McLaughlin, business manager at IBEW 2327 and a spokesman for both unions, which employ 2,000 people in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. “But we have also proposed $218 million in concessions, and (FairPoint) has not only said it’s not enough, they haven’t given us a counterproposal. We’re negotiating with ourselves.”

FairPoint officials disagree.

“We thoroughly evaluated every counterproposal and ultimately rejected each because they did not meaningfully address the core issues,” said corporate spokeswoman Angelynne Amores Beaudry.

Another sticking point is FairPoint’s use of non-union workers on a contractual basis, which saves the company money but threatens the unions’ strength.

“They want to eliminate job security,” McLaughlin said. “All we want is a fair agreement. No one benefits from the company going under.”

Both FairPoint and the unions are bracing for a lengthy strike, and relations are already strained.

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FairPoint is paying for police officers to patrol picket lines after receiving complaints about “aggressive” picketers. The company also has alleged that union sympathizers intentionally jammed the company’s customer service phone lines with “computer-generated” calls that have prevented customers from reaching company representatives.

The company said it is investigating whether union members have also been involved. The unions have denied any involvement.

The unions have filed three complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging bad-faith negotiating by FairPoint.

The board dismissed two, and is investigating the third.

“This company has turned its back on our communities,” Lisa Heisler, a member of CWA Local 1400 and a customer service representative who has worked for the company for 17 years in Vermont, said Friday.

“We are out here every day fighting to preserve good jobs and quality service while the company is accusing us of attacking our own communities.”

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FairPoint has offered landline telephone and Internet service to customers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont since 2007, when it bought Verizon’s landline business in Northern New England for $2.3 billion. The company restructured during bankruptcy proceedings in 2011, cutting its workforce by about 20 percent. FairPoint says it needs to cut labor costs further to remain competitive.

According to the union contracts, starting salaries for CWA employees – mostly office assistants and customer service representatives – range from $20,000 to $24,000.

However, within three years, employees can reach the maximum salary, which ranges from $54,000 to $67,000, not including benefits.

For IBEW workers, the salary ranges vary widely because there are many more job categories.

Most technicians, including line workers, start around $30,000 but can reach $80,000 within four years.

Customer service and support workers start around $25,000, but can reach $70,000 in four years.

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A group of IBEW workers that includes inspectors earn the biggest salaries, topping out at about $90,000.

Because the job titles contained in each wage table are specific, it is difficult to compare them to similar jobs within the industry nationwide.

However, the average salary for telecommunications workers was $54,030 in 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For service representatives, the average wage was $33,000.

FairPoint officials have said that the average salaries of its union workers are actually much higher when considering that the company has been paying 100 percent of all health care premiums, providing unlimited paid sick days, and offering a pension plan with no employee contributions as well as a 401(k) retirement plan with a company match.

“The average individual union member’s paycheck totaled $82,500 in 2013 – nearly twice the median personal income in the region,” Beaudry said.

“Our implemented proposals do not change base pay for current employees and they reflect FairPoint’s commitment to providing good-paying jobs with excellent benefits in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.” The average worker’s salary in Maine is $46,974.

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According to the contracts, the pension plan varies depending on an employee’s date of hire, position and length of service.

The monthly benefit ranges from $40 to $95 for every year of service, or $800 to $1,900 for an employee with 20 years of service.

Most of the union jobs at FairPoint require only a high school education, although some are highly technical and require training.

McLaughlin said the stark difference between the starting salaries and what workers can earn after three or four years is likely a function of on-the-job training. Many workers who start with little experience may become highly skilled after a few years.


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