Progress Seen in Labor Talks at US West

Bargainers for US West Inc. and the union for 35,000 of its workers reported progress in labor talks with a federal mediator Friday, but big differences remained a day before a strike deadline.

The current contract between the regional telephone company and the Communications Workers of America expires at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, and US West’s union workers have already authorized their leaders to call a strike if no agreement is reached.

Both sides reported some movement in talks Friday. But disagreements over mandatory overtime, scheduling and US West’s proposal to link pay to performance remain unresolved.

“I wouldn’t call it [the movement] significant,” CWA spokesman Bill Thornburg said.

Thornburg said negotiations were expected to continue around-the-clock ahead of the strike deadline. The union represents more than half the phone company’s 51,000 employees in 14 states.

David Beigie, a spokesman for US West, said it was “an encouraging sign” that both sides were willing to continue talking through the night.

The company has arranged for 15,000 managers to fill in Sunday morning in case of a strike, Beigie said.

Denver-based US West, the dominant local phone service provider in 14 Western states, asked late Thursday for a federal mediator to take part in the talks. The union agreed, and negotiators and the mediator started working Friday morning.