The four-week strike by 17,000 AT&T workers in the Southeast ended on Sunday (September 15) night with a new contract that gives them a 19% pay raise.
The workers, who install and maintain phone and internet services, had been on strike since August 16. They were upset about their pay and healthcare costs.
AT&T, CWA Union Reach Tentative Deal
AT&T and the workers' union, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), finally reached a deal after weeks of slow talks. AT&T's Chief Operating Officer, Jeff McElfresh, said the company wanted to make sure their workers are paid fairly while also staying competitive in the broadband market.
According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the new contract will keep healthcare costs the same for the first year. After that, costs will go down for two years and then go up a little in the last two years. All union workers will get a 19.33% pay raise, with some technicians getting an extra 3% on top of that.
Richard Honeycutt, the CWA's Vice President for the Southeast, said the workers stayed strong during tough talks. He praised their unity, which helped them get a better deal.
The strike caused some problems for AT&T customers. In Walnut Grove, Georgia, about 40 homes lost their TV, internet, and phone service for more than a week. Residents like 87-year-old George Jenkins were especially worried because they couldn't call 911 during the outage. Even though he was frustrated, Jenkins said he wasn't sure if he wanted to switch to another provider.
AT&T Workers Set to Resume Duties Monday
At the same time, AT&T reached another agreement with 8,500 workers in California and Nevada who had rejected a previous contract. The new four-year contract for these workers includes a 15% pay raise and better rules for scheduling and overtime.
The new Southeast contract will last five years and includes workers in nine states, including Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. In addition to the pay raises, it will also improve healthcare benefits. This contract, along with the deal in the West, helps AT&T keep its workers happy while staying strong in the market.
Now that both contracts are settled, AT&T workers will return to their jobs on Monday, ending one of the longest strikes in the telecommunications industry in the region.
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