AT&T Southeast and AT&T West and the Union of the Communications Workers of America have reached a tentative agreement that puts an end to the longest telecommunications strike in the south’s history.
A release from the CWA said the union reached “strong tentative agreements” with AT&T Southeast and AT&T West to end the 30-day strike in nine states, including Alabama. CWA members will return to work Monday.
“I believe in the power of unity, and the unity our members and retirees have shown during these contract negotiations has been outstanding and gave our bargaining teams the backing they needed to deliver strong contracts,” CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said in a statement.
READ MORE: AT&T makes ‘final offer’ to union workers as strike escalates
The new Southeast contract covers 17,000 technicians, customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support residential and business wireline telecommunications in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The Southeast’s five-year agreement includes across-the-board wage increases of just under 20% with an additional 3% for Wire Technician and Utility Operations. The healthcare agreement will keep premiums steady for the first year then lowers them for the second and third years before monthly increases in the final two years.
The four-year agreement for AT&T West covers 8,500 workers in California and Nevada. Workers there will receive wage increases retroactive to the previous contract’s expiration date, for a compounded amount of 15%. The revamped agreement also includes improvements to overtime and scheduling.
“As we’ve said since day one, our goal has been to reach fair agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers with competitive market-based pay and benefits that are among the best in the nation – and that’s exactly what was accomplished,” said AT&T Chief Operating Officer Jeff McElfresh.
