CEO Peter Sunu expressed confidence Wednesday that the company can handle the work stoppage. But Peter McLaughlin, chairman of the negotiating committee for striking workers, said FairPoint was "clearly unprepared for the strike they provoked." "FairPoint is proving that you can't maintain quality customer service while attacking the skilled workers who provide it," said McLaughlin, business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2327 in Maine. FairPoint declared an impasse in labor negotiations in late August and imposed a contract that froze workers' pensions and replaced them with 401(k) plans, and required workers to contribute to health care costs for the first time. Other provisions allow the company to hire contractors and eliminate retiree health care benefits for current workers.