CWA Gains Consumer and Worker Safeguards in Frontier Agreement

CWA has reached an agreement with Frontier Communications that preserves union jobs, raises wages and calls for the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in broadband build-out and other projects. It also requires Frontier to ensure that at least 84 percent of eligible job titles throughout the United States are union jobs.

The agreement, which will be voted on by members, resulted from CWA's year-long campaign that raised concerns about Frontier's purchase of Verizon's landline operations in West Virginia and 13 other states. "We are comfortable with the deal, given the guarantees that we have negotiated," CWA District 2 vice president Ron Collins said.

The guarantees include $310 million for broadband and other projects in the state. CWA wanted to ensure that West Virginia residents and anchor institutions can get access to high speed broadband and other innovations, as well as consistent service quality.

The agreement also calls for the company to add 150 CWA jobs by October and maintain at least 1,600 full-time CWA jobs through the end of the contract term, Aug. 2, 2013. Wages will increase by 2.75 percent in August 2011 and 2.5 percent one year later and there will be no health care cost shifting. Other improvements include an upgraded title for service technicians and a guarantee that customer service calls in West Virginia will be routed to CWA call centers in the state.

CWA members will begin voting on the agreement next week, with ballots due July 14.