CWA members covered by the AT&T Mobility "Orange" contract ratified a new agreement that provides real gains for workers, including improvements in the retail store compensation plan and the creation of a new career path for customer service representatives.

CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill said this contract broke new ground, especially in the areas of compensation for retail store workers and expanding career opportunity in customer service, two top priorities for Mobility members.

"For customer service workers, this first-ever career path shows that skill and experience will begin to be recognized and rewarded by AT&T Mobility. For retail sales workers, a new, minimum at-risk monthly commission payout provides a floor for earnings," Hill said.  "Mobility workers will be building on these gains as we go forward," she added.

The proposed settlement provides for a compounded wage increase of 8.8 percent over the four-year contract term, along with a $500 bonus. More than 11,000 retail sales consultants now will earn a minimum monthly commission of $1,000 if targeted sales goals are met. In addition, some 500 consumer care workers will receive job upgrades and additional pay increases, as will 50-70 wireless technicians. Other important improvements addressed monitoring and quota relief.

Mobilization by Mobility workers throughout the "Orange" territory – Districts 1, 2, 4, 7, 9 and 13 – made a tremendous difference as did support from CWA Mobility members in the Southeast and Southwest covered by separate contracts and CWA members at the core AT&T company.