CWA Ratifies Contracts with AT&T Southeast, West

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2024 – Communications Workers of America members ratified new contracts at AT&T Southeast and AT&T West, the union announced Friday.

The contracts included “significant improvements to overtime and scheduling practices” in both regions, the union said. Workers in California and Nevada covered by the West contract will see at least a 15 percent wage bump over the next four years, and workers in the Southeast will receive a 19 percent raise over the next five years. Wire technicians in the Southeast will get an additional 3 percent wage increase on top of that.

The deal comes after 17,000 CWA members went on strike for 30 days across the Southeast into September. Union leadership authorized a 8,500-worker strike in the West as well, but ultimately did not call for a work stoppage there.'

“Our members were clear from the start: every CWA member at AT&T has value and no one should be treated like a second-class employee,” Claude Cummings Jr., president of the union, said in a statement. “Our unity across our union made these monumental contracts possible.”

The union first went on strike in mid-August, accusing AT&T of going back on agreements and sending low-level negotiators. The company denied bargaining in bad faith.

“We are proud to support the needs of our unionized employees as they make these connections possible for our customers and communities,” Jamie Barton, AT&T’s SVP of labor relations, said in a statement. “These new agreements position the company for sustainable growth and ensure we continue to recognize the work our employees do every day to serve our customers.”

Union leaders framed the victory in terms of avoiding disruption during build outs funded by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. There’s already a labor shortage in the industry, and the $42.5 billion program is expected to exacerbate that.

“Across these nine states, billions of dollars in federal funds will be rolling in to support a massive broadband rollout, and this contract ensures that both customers and workers will be adequately supported as AT&T bids for and hopefully secures new projects stemming from that funding,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt.

The AT&T Southeast contract covers CWA workers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.