Fairpoint Customer Care Reps Ratify First Contract

A year after organizing with CWA, customer service representatives at two Fairpoint call centers in Maine have ratified their first union contract. The 55 workers, represented by Local 1400, are based in Winthrop and South China, Maine.

The agreement provides job security with protections against subcontracting, and severance pay and recall rights in the case of layoffs. Also negotiated was a strong grievance procedure with due process rights, bidding rights on new jobs, and company recognition of workers' seniority rights. The workers will maintain the same health care benefits that are currently afforded to managers.

Local 1400 represents another 350 Fairpoint workers in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.