JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of AT&T Southeast employees will return to work Monday after the company reached a tentative agreement with the Communications Workers of America, ending the longest telecommunications strike in the region's history.
In a press release Sunday, AT&T said it reached a new union agreement with the labor union's Southeast division.
"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 was accomplished," said AT&T Chief Operating Officer Jeff McElfresh.
The new agreement covers about 15,000 employees in the Southeast who primarily work in technician, call center, machine operator and other customer service roles across nine states, according to the release. AT&T also reached a new agreement with 8,400 employees in the West.
In a Sunday press release, CWA said the five-year agreement includes "across the board wage increases" and new healthcare premiums.
"Our bargaining team has worked tirelessly to negotiate a contract that provides significant wage increases that reflect the hard work and dedication of our union members and a medical plan that ensures that our members and their families have affordable, comprehensive healthcare services," said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. "For every member who has walked a picket line, spoken out for the contract they deserved, or joined their coworkers for a union action, you built this."
AT&T said it expects the agreement to be ratified in the coming weeks, and while it is reviewed, employees will return to work Monday morning.
"We value our union-represented employees, and we’re excited to welcome our Southeast employees back to work so they can continue doing what they do best – serving our customers," AT&T said in a letter to employees Sunday.
Debra Val is an employee at an AT&T location on Town Center Boulevard in Fleming Island. In a statement to First Coast News, she thanked all the union members who participated in the 30-day strike.
"We want to take a moment to sincerely thank each and every one of our members for holding the line to keeping the pressure on the company," said Val. "The last time AT&T saw a strike of this magnitude was 40 years ago during a 3-week strike, but thanks to your dedication, we've surpassed even that."
AT&T has the largest unionized workforce in the United States telecommunications industry.