Press Releases

Congresswoman Pingree visits striking Fairpoint workers in October 2014.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree welcomed the news that a federal mediator would supervise negotiations between Fairpoint Communications and unions representing 1,700 striking workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The two sides will meet Sunday in Washington, DC.

"This strike has gone on far too long and has taken its toll on hard working Maine families and Fairpoint," Pingree said. "The workers have shown every willingness to negotiate and have already offered hundreds of millions of dollars in concessions. They deserve a fair contract that keeps these highly skilled workers on the job building and maintaining our telecommunication system. I'm hopeful that with a federal mediator supervising negotiations the workers will get that contract they deserve."

This afternoon the acting director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service announced that she will be bringing the two sides in the dispute together on Sunday in Washington with a team of mediators to try and reach a settlement.

Pingree wrote to Fairpoint CEO Paul Sunu last month urging the company to return to the bargaining table.