The AT&T strike Concludes With a Contract Deal, and Local Workers Return to Their Employment
BATON ROUGE— After 30 days on strike, AT&T employees in Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 3 reached a tentative contract deal. CWA members returned to work on Monday.
CWA District 3 represents workers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The strike began in August after the union accused AT&T of not bargaining in good faith and failing to send officials with decision-making authority.
Local AT&T employees and allies continued to protest over the weekend, holding signs in the Denham Springs Antique Village on Friday, September 13. Many automobiles honked in support of the workers, prompted by banners that stated, “Honk if you support workers.”
Protesters have been seen all around the Greater Baton Rouge area since the strike began in August.
According to a CWA announcement, the tentative five-year contract provides a 19.33% salary rise overall, with an additional 3% hike for wire technicians and utility operations. The contract also keeps health care premiums constant in the first year, lowers them in the second and third years, and introduces small monthly increases in the last two years.
District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said, “We are incredibly proud of our members and thank CWA members, retirees, and allies across the country for the solidarity that has sustained us through these difficult negotiations.” Their determination to make sacrifices to secure significant improvements in their contract, not just for themselves but also for future members, is genuinely inspirational.
“We understand that our consumers experienced difficulties during the strike as well. We are excited to get back to work, keeping our communities safe and connected.”
AT&T released a statement regarding the contract agreement and end of the work stoppage, saying “As we’ve said since day one, our goal has been to reach fair agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers with competitive market-based pay and benefits that are among the best in the nation — and that’s exactly what we’ve done…”We recognize that this has been a difficult time for everyone involved, and we are pleased that we have found a consensual path ahead to reach these agreements.”