Frontier, CWA West Virginia union extend contract to end of May

Frontier Communications and the local West Virginia Communications Workers of America (CWA) have reached an agreement to extend their existing contract until 11:59 p.m., May 31, following nearly a year of negotiations.

After a contract expired last August, Frontier and the CWA have been working out how to resolve a number of complex issues during a series of contract extensions.

"We continue to make progress during our discussions with the CWA, and we're hopeful we can build on the common ground that we have established to come to a resolution soon," said Frontier East Region Area President Ken Arndt in a release.

Being one of its largest states, West Virginia is a key area for Frontier. Since it acquired Verizon's (NYSE: VZ) rural assets in 14 states in 2010, the telco has increased broadband access in the state from about 62 percent to about 90 percent.

This contract extension in West Virginia is just one of a number of union negotiations Frontier is working to resolve.

Earlier this month, customer service employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 503 union ratified a new labor agreement with the service provider. Last year it 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.

For more:
- see the release

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