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Sprint Workers Win New Contracts, Strike Averted
Seven Sprint bargaining units representing 3,000 CWA members reached tentative agreements with the company on Jan. 21, averting a strike which had been set by the CWA president for that date.
The agreements, subject to ratification by the members, increase wages by an average 9 percent across 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," said Gurganus. 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, pension band increases 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 noted.
Sprint also said, in discussions with Gurganus' office, that 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 about 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.
The agreements, subject to ratification by the members, increase wages by an average 9 percent across 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," said Gurganus. 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, pension band increases 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 noted.
Sprint also said, in discussions with Gurganus' office, that 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 about 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.