Pac Bell Optimistic on Settlement; Union Isn’t

Pacific Bell officials said Friday that “substantial progress” has been made this week toward resolving a 13-day-old strike by 40,000 telephone workers, but officials of the Communications Workers of America said they are less optimistic about the possibility of a quick settlement.

Both sides maintained their policy of refusing to discuss any specifics of what are described as “informal” conferences between their chief negotiators. More “formal” discussions between full teams of negotiators have yet to take place.

Talks are expected to continue this weekend.

Health Care Costs

CWA workers struck Pacific Bell on Aug. 6 when their three-year contract with the telephone company expired. Prime issues are company demands that employees pay a greater share of health care costs and worker contentions that the company’s proposed wage increase is unfairly biased against lower-salaried employees.

CWA issued a statement Friday that said only “some progress” had been made toward a settlement.

Ellen Edwards, president of a CWA local in the San Fernando Valley, said national CWA officials had advised her to be skeptical of the company’s optimism.

“The information we’re getting is that they don’t expect a settlement this weekend and that the company is trying to get our members’ hopes up so that they’ll be let down and really low when a settlement doesn’t occur,” Edwards said.

Strikes also persisted Friday at three other regional Bell telephone companies.

Negotiators for Bell Atlantic, who reached tentative agreement Thursday with negotiators for some of their 52,000 workers, said talks were continuing with others. However, at Chicago-based Ameritech, which serves five Midwestern states, no progress was reported in settling that company’s walkout. Five people were arrested outside Ohio Bell headquarters in Columbus after CWA members blocked entrances to the building.

Also being struck is Nynex, which serves about half of New York state and six New England states.

The striking workers include operators, telephone installers and repairmen, factory workers and some sales and clerical personnel. All four companies have continued service using management personnel, but there have been delays for customers seeking some installation and operator services.