SIF: Windstream: The Fight for Retiree Health Care Goes On

Restoring heath care benefits for thousands of retirees at Windstream is one of the newest SIF campaigns. Last year, the company announced it would terminate retired workers’ long-promised benefits in July 2010, affecting more than 3,000 retirees.

CWA won round one in the battle when it forced Windstream to restore benefits to 140 retirees who worked at the company’s former GTE properties in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Through legal research and discovery that the SIF made possible, CWA uncovered an Asset Purchase Agreement between GTE properties in those states and Windstream’s predecessor that protects retired workers’ health benefits.

And that’s just the beginning. CWA is requesting similar documents through discovery to try to restore benefits for more Windstream retirees, said CWA Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus.

CWA also is fighting Windstream’s legal assault on dozens of retirees who answered a survey from the company and indicated that they didn’t think Windstream had the right to change or terminate their benefits.

“Losing coverage was bad enough, but I am stunned that we are being sued. It was adding insult to injury,” Local 6171 retiree Johnny Lee said. Family coverage for Lee and his wife would exceed $1,200 a month, roughly the amount of his pension.      

Outraged, more than 150 active and retired CWAers attended the company’s shareholder meeting in Little Rock, Ark., earlier this year.