PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – FairPoint Communications workers ratified a new contract during three days of voting, ending a four-month strike by more than 1,700 workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, two unions announced Sunday.
Workers for northern New England’s primary telephone company were eager to return to their jobs this week after a bitter strike in which both sides made concessions that eased some of the terms the company sought to impose.
Todd Bedard, a FairPoint worker in Concord, New Hampshire, said he’s satisfied with the outcome.
“They have to do what’s best for their business model. We as employees have to do what’s best for us. In any contract, if people on both sides are unhappy, then I guess you have yourself a good contract,” he said.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Communications Workers of America announced the voting results upon conclusion of voting that occurred on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The unions didn’t provide the exact vote count.