North Carolina Local 3673 Negotiation Update

The 106 members of CWA Local 3673, located in the hills of North Carolina, will be joining their brothers and sisters in West Virginia by negotiating contracts with Frontier in late August.

Local 3673’s collective bargaining agreement expired on April 23, 2011 but an extension was agreed upon by both the local and the company until August 25. Local President Tim Ammons doesn’t expect another contract extension and is ready to negotiate the key issues facing his local.

Top on the list of Local 3673’s issues to negotiate are medical benefits, contractor language (or lack thereof), workplace flexibility and Frontier’s “sales and incentive” programs. Of particular concern is the medical benefits issue because for many years Local 3673 sacrificed higher wages in order to have better medical benefits. The North Carolina workers have always been happy with the trade-off until Frontier started predicting medical costs would skyrocket to $400 per month before the end of the collective bargaining agreement.

“I understand medical benefits are pricey and continue to rise but I question the need of funding these increases solely off the back of our workers when Frontier executives are being handed enormous compensation packages,” said Ammons.

Ammons knows he can depend on the solidarity of the brothers and sisters in Local 3673, they proved their resolve and unity standing together during an 83 day strike in 2003. This year Local 3673 will be standing together with all CWA Frontier locals across the country as contracts expire and we fight to win a fair contract for all Frontier workers.

Source: Frontier Frontline Newsletter, August 2011