Qwest

Union workers at Qwest Communications International rejected a proposed three-year contract on Tuesday. But so far, there doesn't seem to be a threat of a strike.

Representatives of the Communications Workers of America and Qwest said they'd meet again this week to continue talks, according to the Associated Press. CWA represents roughly 29,000 Qwest employees in 13 states. Qwest is the primary phone company in 14 Western states.

Union members had authorized a strike when the contract expired in August, but the workers continued working. The two sides reached a tentative agreement days later.

Qwest representatives told … Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn.--Plans for the Republican National Convention taking place here this week have been scaled back somewhat because of Hurricane Gustav, but wiring the convention nevertheless amounts to an impressive technical feat.

The GOP anticipates around 45,000 people arriving for the convention. And to accommodate delegates' cell phones, broadcasters' videocameras, and numerous other gadgets, the party has spent the last 16 months rewiring the Xcel Energy Center from the ground up.

"The good thing about the Xcel Center is it's a very modern building," making the process relatively painless, said Max Everett, RNC chief … Read more

It will take more than a whoppingly huge stadium to host tens of thousands of party insiders, journalists, and bloggers who began arriving in Denver this weekend for the Democratic convention.

Even though actual news may be scarce, attendees are nevertheless hauling along laptops, cell phones, wireless cards, and innumerable other gadgets, all of which will place a severe severe strain on the city's communication infrastructure.

To handle the increased demand, the Democrats have enlisted the support of Qwest, Cisco Systems, and other companies to upgrade the technical infrastructure at the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field.

Working with two … Read more

Qwest Communications International has reached a tentative agreement with two labor unions averting a potential strike that could have disrupted service for the Democratic and Republican national conventions to be held in the next few weeks.

On Monday, Qwest and its largest labor union, the Communications Workers of America, said that they had agreed on a three-year deal that will cover some 20,000 Qwest employees in 13 states who are represented by the union.

Qwest also reached a tentative agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents employees in Montana.

Qwest's union workers had authorized a strike … Read more

Qwest Communications union members voted Sunday to authorize a strike if the union can't negotiate an acceptable contract.

About 93 percent of Qwest's employees in the Communications Workers of America union voted to allow its leaders to authorize the strike if they can't work out a deal with management. Contracts for some 20,000 Qwest workers expire at 12:01 a.m. next Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

Qwest, which is based in Denver, is providing communication services for the Democratic and Republican conventions. The Democratic National Convention, which is to be held in Denver, begins August … Read more

Qwest Communications International is ending its relationship with Sprint Nextel and has struck a new deal to resell wireless service through Verizon Wireless.

The company said Monday that it plans to resell wireless service from Verizon Wireless starting this summer. The companies have signed a five-year contract. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Qwest has been reselling Sprint's wireless service since 2004 under its own brand. A spokesman for the phone company said it will continue to service customers on the Sprint network until its contract expires with Sprint in February 2009. Current customers will be given … Read more

The sagging phone business has caused Qwest Communications International to offer hundreds of employees a voluntary buyout as the company continues to tighten its belt.

On Tuesday, Qwest, the third-largest phone company in the U.S., said that it would cut "less than 2 percent" of its 36,843 workforce through a voluntary program. The cuts are targeted at roughly 700 technicians and other Qwest employees who work for the company's traditional landline business, according to the Associated Press.

The cuts come as Qwest and other local phone companies are seeing thousands of customers abandon their old landlines for alternatives, … Read more

Qwest Communications' former Chief Executive Joseph Nacchio, who was sentenced last summer to six years in prison for insider trading, is getting a new trial.

On Monday, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the 19 guilty verdicts and ordered a new trial for Nacchio stating that the trial judge had improperly limited testimony from an expert witness and excluded classified evidence, which could have been used in Nacchio's defense.

Nacchio, who served as the phone company's CEO from 1997 until 2002, was convicted in April last year on 19 of 42 counts of insider trading. … Read more

Qwest Communications International is in talks with Verizon Communications to bundle its wireless service with Qwest's broadband and landline voice services, according to a Wednesday report in The Wall Street Journal.

Qwest, the only major phone company without its own wireless service, has been reselling wireless service from Sprint Nextel. But Qwest CEO Ed Mueller said earlier this week at his company's analyst conference that he is not happy with the arrangement and is looking for a new partner.

The problem with the Sprint deal is that Qwest is unable to offer the same services and handsets that … Read more