PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — FairPoint Communications and two unions representing 1,700 workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont continued to negotiate Friday as the expiration of the existing contract looms this weekend.

Union workers are unhappy with proposed changes to health and retirement benefits, as well as changes aimed at allowing greater use of nonunion workers. The company, which has struggled since buying Verizon’s landline telephone operations seven years ago, says its benefits are out of sync with industry norms.