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HomeNewsArchivesCOMPENSATION DUE FOR LOSS OF PHONE SERVICE

COMPENSATION DUE FOR LOSS OF PHONE SERVICE

Oct. 10, 2002 – Customers who have been without telephone service during the ongoing strike by Innovative Telephone/Innovative Cable-TV employees can expect reimbursement for the inconvenience, according to the Public Services Commission executive director, Keithley Joseph.
More than 4,000 phone subscribers throughout the territory lost service as a result of vandalism to lines since last Thursday. Innovative on Tuesday announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The PSC's role, Joseph said, will begin once the labor dispute ends. "We will address the complaints customers have and what the utility is going to do to compensate those people not served during that time — be it a credit or reimbursement," Joseph said, noting that he, too, has been without phone service.
He said he has told ICC's offices to keep track daily of how many complaints are coming in from customers, "so we can go back and refer to it as a paper trail."
Joseph declined to estimate how long it would take for customers to obtain reimbursement after the strike ends.
While the PSC isn't getting involved immediately, the Labor Department may step in, according to Commissioner Cecil Benjamin.
Striking members of the United Steelworkers Union were, according to Frederick Joseph, Steelworkers local president on St. Croix, asked to turn in their ICC identity badges last Thursday in exchange for their paychecks. "I had no knowledge of that," Benjamin said. "That would be a violation of the law."
Joseph said on Tuesday that he had asked Innovative's human services director, Beverly Chongasing, whether the surrender of the cards constituted termination or lockout. He was referred to the company's lawyer.
Benjamin said if Innovative terminates the strikers, the Labor Department could get involved, because such action on the company's part would be illegal. But he said on Wednesday that he doubts Innovative would do that now with a federal mediator expected in the territory next week. "Then, what's the sense of going into mediation? Let's not expect the worse; let's expect the best," he said.
Benjamin said he is optimistic that the talks with the representative of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service will yield a favorable outcome. "I'm very confident and optimistic that this can be done through the mediation process. We are hopeful," he said.
Sessions are scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday. The union is seeking improved benefits, primarily in the area of retirement.
Innovative Telephone's president, Samuel Ebbesen, said in a release Wednesday that the company "is proud of its wage and compensation package for employees." As an example, he said, the top salary for a janitor is $27,000 "and the company pays 100 percent of the cost of the medical, dental and vision premium for the employee and their dependents insurance along with 100 percent payment of the employee pension plan."
Since Oct. 2, union members have been picketing outside Innovative offices and other work places on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John.

Judi Shimel contributed to this report.
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