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New Pacts End Strike Plans for Sprint Workers in Six States
Seven Sprint bargaining units representing 3,000 CWA members reached tentative agreements with the company on Jan. 21, averting a strike that had been set for that date.
The agreements, subject to ratification by the members, increase wages by an average of 9 percent over three years, address workers' concerns about job security and health care cost shifting, and cover a number of local issues, said Jimmy Gurganus, CWA vice president for Telecommunications.
"Our members worked extremely hard to bring home these agreements and can be proud of what they accomplished," Gurganus said. He noted that locals kept up intense mobilization pressure during both formal bargaining and informal discussions with the company.
The majority of the agreements have three-year terms, although one contract will run for 30 months and another for two years.
Contract provisions, including wage increases, health care options and local issues, vary across the units, Gurganus said.
Sprint's withdrawal of its demands for temporary layoffs, the ability to retain workers without regard to seniority, and other provisions that would have harmed workers' job security was an important point in the talks, he said.
In discussions with Gurganus' office, Sprint also said it is willing to restart a national labor-management health care committee which will discuss plan design, costs, and other issues, while maintaining quality care for employees and their families.
The separate negotiations covered 500 workers in central Florida; 1,800 in North Carolina; 400 in Bristol/Johnston City, Tenn.; 40 in Evansville, Ind.; 50 in Pennsylvania and 170 in Hood River, Ore.
As the CWA News went to press, Sprint units in Missouri and Kansas were still bargaining, with a contract expiration date of Jan. 31. Another unit in Ohio was preparing to bargain. That contract expires Feb. 28.
The agreements, subject to ratification by the members, increase wages by an average of 9 percent over three years, address workers' concerns about job security and health care cost shifting, and cover a number of local issues, said Jimmy Gurganus, CWA vice president for Telecommunications.
"Our members worked extremely hard to bring home these agreements and can be proud of what they accomplished," Gurganus said. He noted that locals kept up intense mobilization pressure during both formal bargaining and informal discussions with the company.
The majority of the agreements have three-year terms, although one contract will run for 30 months and another for two years.
Contract provisions, including wage increases, health care options and local issues, vary across the units, Gurganus said.
Sprint's withdrawal of its demands for temporary layoffs, the ability to retain workers without regard to seniority, and other provisions that would have harmed workers' job security was an important point in the talks, he said.
In discussions with Gurganus' office, Sprint also said it is willing to restart a national labor-management health care committee which will discuss plan design, costs, and other issues, while maintaining quality care for employees and their families.
The separate negotiations covered 500 workers in central Florida; 1,800 in North Carolina; 400 in Bristol/Johnston City, Tenn.; 40 in Evansville, Ind.; 50 in Pennsylvania and 170 in Hood River, Ore.
As the CWA News went to press, Sprint units in Missouri and Kansas were still bargaining, with a contract expiration date of Jan. 31. Another unit in Ohio was preparing to bargain. That contract expires Feb. 28.