Whatever time you think it's going to take to change that, it's going to take more. Training and communication are the biggest things. Communication proves especially key in Puerto Rico because of vibrant media, including some half-dozen daily newspapers, plus dozens of radio and TV news programs in San Juan alone. To lower tensions, for example, management now issues bulletins after meetings with unions on new collective bargaining contracts. The bulletins summarize the status of talks, diminishing debates in the media.
Union leaders say the communication boosts respect.
The upshot for Puerto Rico from the privatization seems to be better labor relations and customer service. And the phone company now is a lot more agile dealing with a competitive situation.