Frontier, CWA Nebraska hammer out new labor agreement

Frontier Communications and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Nebraska Local 1471 have ratified a new labor agreement for customer service-focused employees who work in Kearney and Columbus, Neb.

The agreement, which was ratified on June 25 and announced this week, addresses a number of issues that were important to union workers and Frontier: intense competition in the telecommunications industry, challenging economic times, the importance of hiring and retaining the best employees and providing competitive wages and benefits.

CWA Local 7471 represents 30 sales and service technicians and retail sales specialists who serve Frontier customers in Kearney and Columbus.

Set to expire on May 17, 2017, Frontier said the three-year contract "will help Frontier remain competitive and enhance customer service while continuing to provide solid wages and benefits to its Nebraska-based union employees."

The past year has been a big year for Frontier and its union workers. In 2013, the telco reached an agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union covering over 1,100 employees in five Midwest states after seven months of negotiations and it reached another agreement with the CWA union representing 200 of the carrier's employees in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Connecticut CWA Local 1298 President William Henderson III has given his support for Frontier's pending acquisition of AT&T's wireline network infrastructure in the state. Initially, Henderson opposed the sale because he said neither Frontier nor AT&T had issued a whole lot of information about their business plans.

For more:
- see the release

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