PORTLAND, Maine - Representatives for FairPoint Communications say a lengthy strike and bad weather caused the company's $43.6 million in losses in the final three months of 2014.
The North Carolina-based company operates the largest landline telephone network in northern New England. It made $6.1 million in the same quarter in 2013.
The Portland Press Herald reports that a company earnings release says the strike caused a fall in service requests and long wait times for installations. A backlog for connecting new services continued into 2015.
Unions representing 1,700 workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont went on strike in October. The strike was settled in February and employees returned to work Feb. 25.
Company representatives say FairPoint's annual loss widened from $93.5 million in 2013 to $136.3 million in 2014.
