CWA District 9 Members Ratify AT&T West Contract

Sacramento, Calif. -- Members of the Communications Workers of America at AT&T West have ratified a new three-year agreement by an overwhelming 3 to 1 margin.

The settlement covers about 22,000 CWA-represented workers who work in California, Nevada and Hawaii, CWA's District 9, at AT&T West. Negotiations are continuing for new contracts covering about 65,000 CWA-represented workers in other AT&T regions. They include East (CWA Local 1298), Southeast (CWA District 3) and Southwest (District 6).  

"This agreement achieves members' key goals: it maintains our members' standard of living, safeguards quality health care for workers and retirees, and enhances employment security," said CWA District 9 Vice President Jim Weitkamp. "Considering we are in the worst recession in history, this agreement reflects real gains and positive accomplishments for workers," he said. 

The settlement increases pay by about 9 percent over the contract term, including cost of living adjustments, and provides pension band increases of 2 percent in each year of the agreement, also with cost of living adjustments. 

The health care plan provides for fully funded preventive care and company-funded health reimbursement accounts that can be used toward any eligible health care expense, and a majority of workers won't see any cost changes at all in their health care coverage.  The new agreement also includes new transfer rights for workers and provides additional employment security improvements. Improvements for prem techs include wage increases, employment security gains and new work rule protections.

CWA members at AT&T Midwest, CWA District 4, ratified a new contract on Aug. 7; CWA's Communications and Technology bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with AT&T covering about 8,000 Legacy T workers on Aug. 27.