page_title: Colin Van Ostern
section_title: Ending the 2014–2015 Fairpoint strike
hierarchical_section_title: Colin Van Ostern / Political career / Ending the 2014–2015 Fairpoint strike
caption_attribution_description: On October 6, The No Labels Foundation hosted the New Hampshire Governor's Forum, featuring Democratic candidate Colin Van Ostern and Republican candidate Chris Sununu. The two candidates engaged in a substantive discussion with over 500 New Hampshire voters, steered by No Labels Co-Chairs Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Lieberman.
context_page_description: Colin Van Ostern, is an American businessman and politician who served on the New Hampshire Executive Council from 2013 to 2017, where he represented the state's second district. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Hampshire in 2016. He was a candidate for a two-year term as New Hampshire Secretary of State in the New Hampshire General Court's December 5 election, which he lost to incumbent Bill Gardner.
context_section_description: In October 2014, 1,700 workers at Fairpoint Communications in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont went on strike after the company froze pensions, implemented pay reductions for new employees, and limited health care benefits. By late November, negotiations between the two sides had reached an impasse.  On December 23, Van Ostern asked state officials to delay a proposed $13 million contract for state phone and data service with Fairpoint, citing the poor consumer service levels in the wake of the strike. Members of the striking labor union, IBEW, used the contract delay to call on the company to return to negotiations.  Negotiations between the company and striking workers resumed on January 4, 2015 and the contract was passed unanimously on the Executive Council later that month.  The strike was resolved in early February, and was the nation's largest and longest in 2014.
caption: Van Ostern at a 2016 gubernatorial candidate forum steered by former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. and former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 70D", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2016:10:06 11:26:02", "Image ExifOffset": "166", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "9/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "3200", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "3200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2016:10:06 11:26:02", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2016:10:06 11:26:02", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "51/8", "EXIF ApertureValue": "35/8", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "1976/453", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "42", "EXIF SubSecTime": "77", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "77", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "77", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2000", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1333", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "231297/38", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "121803/20", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "222057005428", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[18, 135, 0, 0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "00000e4647"}