Jamo,
The reason I read it as they didn't include their health and retirement benefits in the wage cuts was that they listed them in a separate paragraph. I am sure they will be cut too as they always do. I just figured there were other labor costs they were using in the $70 an hour figure.
Wes,
When the telephone companies would go on strike they would take the keys to the offices from all the union employees. Those of us who worked all over had one master key that fit all of the different locks on the computer buildings. I only remember one so called lock out and it lasted about 3 days as we were getting a new computer ready and the company didn't want the people back in there until we had it finished. So after the strike was settled they kept them out for that 3 days. I think what really was the death blow to the local union here for the telecommunications industry was they cut a main cable to a place up in the mountains and a man died because of it. He had a heart attack and they had no way to call for help. They also cut trees and blocked the roads and actually had two shootings, so the union people were pretty much on the way out when that was over. You just won't find much sympathy or backing for the unions in this area any more.
Edit To correct: Wes, I was looking in one of my old left over test books and what they had I don't think could be called a lock out. We were in the middle of testing some new stuff that had never been released to the field before and there wasn't even any manuals on it at that time. So the union and company agreed to have the workers stay out for 2 more days, not 3, and at half pay until we got the test to the point they could begin to work in on this stuff. It would have been kind of like walking into the middle of a surgery and taking over when it wasa new type and unproven surgery.
Ron