AUGUSTA (AP) — The Maine Bureau of Unemployment Compensation has awarded unemployment benefits to FairPoint workers who were in a four-month strike that ended in February.
Hundreds of strikers in Maine and New Hampshire were denied unemployment benefits. They were among 2,000 workers who went on strike in those states and in Vermont. The telecommunications company imposed contract terms on the workers after it declared a stalemate on negotiations last year.
In a June 5 decision, an unemployment hearing officer concluded that workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communications Workers of America were entitled to the benefits.
The officer found there had been no “stoppage of work” at FairPoint’s Maine facilities during the dispute.
A FairPoint spokeswoman said the company believes the decision is flawed and plans to appeal.
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