Dateline: WASHINGTON[image omitted]
About 78,000 Verizon Communications workers from Virginia to Maine remained on the job while contract negotiations continued Sunday.
A strike deadline passed with unions deciding to stay at the bargaining table, citing some progress.
Contract negotiations covering telephone operators and technicians were scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. EDT Sunday at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a government agency that has been involved in the talks since Tuesday.
"There's been enough progress that makes it worth it to keep talking," said Jim Spellane, spokesman for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents 18,000 workers. The remaining are represented by the Communications Workers of America.
But significant issues still remain unresolved, he said, declining to discuss specifics. Central concerns for both sides include future jobs and rising health care costs.
Some local telephone service for Verizon customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic could be affected by a strike, although the company has insisted customers making regular long-distance and local calls shouldn't have trouble.
Company spokesman Eric Rabe said disruptions of phone service should be avoided with about 30,000 managers and outside contract workers prepared to take over in case of a strike.
But delays or disruptions could occur for repairs and new installations of phone and Internet service, and for calls to customer service centers.
A strike in 2000, which lasted 18 days, caused a backlog of about 250,000 repair requests and new orders for Verizon.
Image Caption: Verizon employee Julie Esposito participates in a candlelight vigil in front of the Verizon offices in Portland, Maine, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2003, hours before a midnight strike deadline. The Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are negotiating a new three-year contract with Verizon, the nation's largest phone company. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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