(ATLANTA, GEORGIA & SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA) - The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has announced the Union has reached strong tentative new agreements with AT&T Southeast and AT&T West, which were negotiated separately.

The agreement in the Southeast ends a 30-day Strike - the longest Telecommunications Strike in the region’s history - with Union Members across nine states pressuring the company to negotiate in good faith.

As a result, CWA Members reported to work for their scheduled shifts today (Monday, September 16th).

The agreement at AT&T West comes after CWA Members rejected a previous tentative agreement reached on September 6th.

CWA President Claude Cummings, Jr. said: “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.  I’m not just talking about AT&T Members in the Southeast and West, although the determination of our striking AT&T Southeast Members was remarkable.  CWA Members and Retirees from every region and sector of our Union mobilized in support of our Bargaining Teams, including by distributing flyers with information about the Strike at AT&T Wireless stores.”

The new contract in the Southeast covers 17,000 Workers - Technicians, Customer Service Representatives and others who install, maintain and support AT&T’s Residential and Business Wireline Telecommunications Network in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Wages and health care costs were key issues at the bargaining table and the five-year agreement includes across the board wage increases of 19.33%, with additional 3% increases for Wire Technicians and Utility Operations.

The health care agreement holds health care premiums steady in the first year and lowers them in the second and third years, with modest monthly increases in the final two years.

The four-year agreement at AT&T West covers 8,500 Workers in California and Nevada.

It improves on the historic achievements negotiated in the prior agreement.

The wage boost will now be retroactive to the contract expiration date, bringing the compounded increase to 15.01%.

The revamped agreement also includes improvements to overtime and scheduling.

Union Members will meet to review the tentative agreements, before holding ratification votes in each region that will give every Union Member a voice on the proposed contracts.

The Bargaining Committees in each district have recommended ratification.

To Directly Access This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: AT&T Southeast Strike Ends | Communications Workers of America (cwa-union.org)