Oct. 8, 2002 – Mediation aimed at settling the impasse between Innovative Telephone/Innovative Cable-TV and their unionized employees got off to a slow start on Tuesday, as the walkout by workers of the two companies reached its seventh day.
ICC and United Steelworkers of America negotiators met by way of a conference phone call Tuesday afternoon with a representative of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service who was supposed to have arrived in the territory on Monday. By the end of the session, they agreed to meet for face-to-face discussions in the Virgin Islands next week.
Frederick Joseph, Steelworkers local president on St. Croix, said he left the meeting with a sense of satisfaction. "It went good. We scheduled two days next week, Oct. 16 and 17. Once you're talking, there is hope," he said.
But other developments on Tuesday in the strike by some 310 Innovative Telephone and Innovative Cable-TV workers were less conciliatory. Joseph said Innovative Telephone offered its striking employees their current period paychecks in exchange for their identity cards. He said when he heard about this, he called Beverly Chongasing, the head of human resources, "and asked her what it was all about."
According to Joseph, Chongasing "said it was her idea, because the badges are company property. I asked, 'Are you terminating them, or are you locking them out?' She told me if I had any further questions, I should ask their attorney."
Innovative Telephone spokesman Thomas J. Dunn said he had not heard about any such provision for distributing the payroll to striking workers and could not comment. Dunn said he also couldn't comment on reports that the company had brought in non-union contract workers to work with company supervisors in repairing and maintaining the cable and telephone distribution systems.
And late Tuesday afternoon, Innovative Telephone put out a release offering a reward of $50,000 "for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for cutting telephone and cable TV lines." The release said that the phone and cable companies "have been experiencing criminal sabotage of their system since Oct. 3" — last Thursday.
The release asked those with information to call 777-8345.
Union workers said last Friday that ICC brought in outside technicians on Thursday on St. Croix. Responding to charges of vandalism and sabotage on both St. Croix and St. Thomas levied by Innovative officials since then, Joseph said he didn't know who was responsible for the acts and suggested the contract workers may have been involved.
On St. Croix, "We saw trucks and people working out there, so we know they are bringing in contractors," he said. "We also know they are bringing in managers."
Meanwhile, thousands of telephone customers were still without service on Tuesday. According to the Innovative release, "more than 4,000 residents and businesses have been affected" by "senseless acts of vandalism" to the phone and cable-TV systems.
The union is seeking improved benefits, notably in the area of retirement. The current three-year contract expired at midnight Sept. 30, and the union membership walked out 24 hours later after rejecting ratification of Innovative's final offer. The contract covers telephone and cable line workers and installers, key system technicians, cable splicers, operators, cashiers, service representatives and janitors.
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