Sprint Will Hold Contract Talks Today

Sprint Corp., the No. 3 U.S. long-distance phone company, said it will hold contract talks today with workers in Florida. Sprint is negotiating an agreement with about 650 workers, said a spokesman for Westwood, Kan.-based Sprint. He declined to disclose the time and place of the meetings. A strike deadline was extended until 12:01 a.m. EST Tuesday. Last week more than 2,830 workers in Indiana, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina reached a tentative three-year agreement with Sprint. Members of the Communications Workers of America still have to ratify the agreements. The union has said Sprint is cutting jobs, contracting work out to less experienced employees and making consumers wait longer for service. Union officials couldn’t be reached for comment. Sprint’s local division provides telephone service in 18 states and has 26,000 employees.