Bargaining Update

FairPoint Workers Ratify Contracts

CWA and IBEW members in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont ratified tentative agreements with FairPoint Communications, and returned to work on Feb. 25 after enduring 18 weeks on the picket line.

"This agreement is a win for our members and for future FairPoint employees," said Don Trementozzi, president of CWA Local 1400. "We went on strike last October because we are committed to keeping good, middle-class jobs in New England. Our members walked the lines for more than four months, not just for themselves, but for future generations. Our success will benefit FairPoint workers – and New England's working families – for years to come."

The contracts provide improvements in health care, protections from outsourcing and elimination of two-tier wages.

FairPoint workers received widespread support from their communities and from thousands of workers around the world, in solidarity and support. Lawmakers in all three states joined the picket lines.

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AT&T Mobility Puerto Rico

CWAers nationwide are showing their support for members of CWA Local 3010 at AT&T Mobility in Puerto Rico who are in tough bargaining for a new contract.

CWA activists from Independent Telecom locals, at headquarters to work on union building and mobilization training, give a shout out to Mobility members. From left, Carson Turnquist, Local 7270, Frontier; Steve Kotel, Local 4671, CenturyLink; and John Douglas, Local 6171, Windstream.

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AT&T

CWA bargaining teams are ready for the start of negotiations with AT&T Midwest and AT&T Legacy that begin next week, Wednesday, March 4. CWA D4 Vice President Linda Hinton will open negotiations in Chicago; CWA represents about 13,000 workers at AT&T Midwest. Laura Unger, assistant to T/T vice president Bill Bates, will open negotiations in Washington, D.C. That contract covers about 4,800 Legacy workers. Contracts expire on Apr. 11. Keep up with the latest at www.cwaatatt.com.

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Perseverance: One Day Longer, One Day Stronger!

Cablevision workers in Brooklyn, who finally got a contract that they ratified overwhelmingly after three years of holding strong, want other workers to know, they can do it too. Watch their video here.