It looks like Verizon's union workers aren't the only ones unhappy with the terms of their contract as Hawaiian Telcom's (Nasdaq: HCOM) main union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1357 (IBEW 1357), went on strike this week.
The IBEW's decision to go on strike follows what the telco says was its "last, best and final offer" for a new collective bargaining agreement it presented to the union in early October.
Like Verizon and other larger telcos that have been restructuring contracts with their respective union workers, Hawaiian Telcom was also looking for a number of concessions. Among the new changes, union workers would have to contribute 10 percent of their pay to cover health care and they would get a 1 percent pay increase and a $500 bonus each year over the life of the contract.
However, the union, which currently represents 700 employees of its 1,300 workforce, decided that the deal did not meet their requirements and decided to strike in protest.
http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/hawaiian-telcom-union-workers-strike-over-new-contract-concessions/2011-11-11?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz1dS96yBbm