PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Northern New England’s primary landline provider, FairPoint Communications, and two unions representing more than 1,700 workers have reached a tentative agreement to end a four-month strike, officials announced Thursday.
A joint statement from the company and unions didn’t provide any details of the proposal that will be put to workers for a ratification vote. Workers will return to their jobs Feb. 25, and the vote will take place “as soon as possible” after briefings for workers on Friday and over the weekend.
“The new labor agreements will provide employees with wages and benefits that are among the best in northern New England. At the same time, the agreements permit the company to achieve a much more competitive position in the marketplace,” the statement said.
FairPoint workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont went on strike in October.
The tentative agreement follows more than six weeks of federally mediated negotiations.