CWA District 4 reaches tentative deal with AT&T

AT&T and CWA District 4 have reached a tentative deal on the contract affecting some 18,500 wireline workers in the Midwest after nearly five months of bargaining. AT&T said it will continue to negotiate with the other CWA Districts currently working without a contract.

The tentative agreement will be submitted to the district's membership for a ratification vote in the next few days, according to the press release.

CWA President Larry Cohen said the agreement would allow union members to maintain their standard of living and health benefits.

"It's important now to move forward in the remaining negotiations and resolve our outstanding issues," Cohen said. "I'm pleased that AT&T will continue to work with us and others on comprehensive health care reform so that companies like AT&T that provide quality health care are no longer penalized in this country."

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said both sides showed patience and professionalism in the negotiations and said the tentative contract offers some of the best, most comprehensive corporate health and retirement benefits in the nation. The tentative agreement will be for three years if approved, and it includes stipulations for pay and pension increases in each year of the agreement.

CWA Districts 1, 6, 9 and Legacy T will continue negotiating, as will the IBEW union, whose contract with AT&T expired June 27. CWA District 3's contract expires Aug. 8, and negotiations on that deal are set to begin July 20.

For more:
- see the press release here [1]
- see the terms of the deal at the AT&T bargaining site here [2]
- see the final CWA District 4 bargaining report here [3] 

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