NEW YORK — Verizon Communications Inc. and two unions representing 65,000 workers who had threatened to strike within hours agreed Sunday on a new three-year contract that provides 10.5 percent wage increases and changes in retirement benefits.
The talks covered workers in Washington and 12 other states.
The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers had threatened to strike at 12:01 a.m. today if no agreement was reached.
A walkout could have delayed installations and repairs of telephone and broadband lines. An 18-day strike in 2000 left a backlog of 230,000 orders and repair requests.
No date was immediately set for union members to vote on the deal.
Mississippi: Casino bus crash kills 3
A casino bus full of tourists overturned in northwestern Mississippi on Sunday, killing three people and injuring several others. The bus belonged to Harrah’s Tunica and was carrying 43 people when it flipped over in a median at an intersection in Tunica, a county spokesman said. The bus was the only vehicle involved in the accident, which was still under investigation.
Hawaii: Hillary Clinton’s DNC appearance
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will headline her own night at the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign announced Sunday in a nod to her strong second-place showing in the party’s presidential primary. The former first lady will speak on the second night, Aug. 26, the 88th anniversary of the women’s right to vote.
Texas: Viper stolen from aquarium
Police are investigating the disappearance of a venomous snake from an aquarium in Galveston and say they believe the reptile has been stolen. The 10-inch African bush viper was last seen Thursday evening at the Moody Gardens aquarium. Officials say the fastener holding a padlock on the snake exhibit appeared to have been tampered with and damaged. The snake’s venom is not deadly to humans but could cause serious health problems.
Ontario: Explosions force evacuations
Explosions at the Sunrise Propane Industrial Gasses facility in Toronto forced the evacuation of thousands of people early Sunday. One firefighter died, authorities said. The explosions also shut down Canada’s busiest highway and a part of the subway system, snarling traffic for thousands of travelers. The Ontario minister of community safety said the fire continued to burn Sunday evening, but was under control. The cause was under investigation.
Guatemala: U.S. tourist hacked to death
Robbers armed with machetes hacked a U.S. tourist to death and seriously wounded his wife in an attack aboard the Alaskan couple’s sailboat in northeastern Guatemala, the woman said Sunday. Nancy Dryden, 67, said her husband, Daniel Perry Dryden, 66, was killed by four men who boarded their boat late Saturday while it was anchored in Lake Izabal. After assaulting the couple, the men demanded she hand over the keys to the vessel. When she didn’t, the men left, apparently by swimming.
Pakistan: Afghanistan border bombings
Pakistani forces bombed dozens of houses in a tribal region near the Afghan border Sunday, officials and witnesses said. The area is considered a possible hiding place for al-Qaida leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the U.S. military announced the death of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony M. Carbullido, 25, of Agat, Guam. He was died Friday from injuries suffered when his vehicle struck an explosive.
Bolivia: Voters back president
Voters vigorously endorsed President Evo Morales on Sunday in a recall referendum he devised to try to break a political stalemate and revive his leftist crusade, partial unofficial results showed. More than 62 percent of voters ratified the mandate of Morales and his vice president, Alvaro Garcia, according to a private quick count of votes from 900 of the country’s 22,700 polling stations.
From Herald news services
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