AT&T, union reach agreement after strike

AT&T and a union representing its workers in the southeastern United States have reached a five-year tentative agreement after a four-day strike, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA). 

The agreement includes wage increases of 13.25 percent, pension and 401(k) plan enhancements, better job security and the creation of additional customer service positions, CWA said in a statement. Employees will also have the ability to contribute to a Health Savings Account through payroll deductions. 

“This agreement provides substantial improvements for working people at AT&T Southeast,” said Richard Honeycutt, the vice president of CWA’s District 3, which covers workers in the Southeast region. 

“The strike showed AT&T that our members were united. Once the company returned to the table with negotiators with decision-making authority, we were able to resolve the outstanding issues quickly,” he added.  

{mosads}AT&T confirmed in a statement to The Hill that it had reached an agreement with the workers. 

“We’re pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Communications Workers of America District 3 in Southeast wireline contract negotiations,”  AT&T spokesman Jim Kimberly told The Hill. 

“We’ve been committed throughout this process to reaching a fair agreement. Out of respect for the union, we are not commenting on terms of the agreement in principle until union leadership has had an opportunity to share details with members,” he added. 

AT&T also noted that the employees covered under the agreement are those in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Several Democratic presidential candidates expressed support for the striking employees. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined workers in Kentucky and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former Vice President Joe Biden were among others who tweeted support.