AT&T reaches final deal with wireless workers after yearlong labor standoff

Communications Workers of America (CWA) members have approved a four-year contract with AT&T by an overwhelming majority after a difficult monthslong labor standoff. The deal rolls back offshoring and outsourcing and sets a new standard for wireless retail and call center jobs in America.

The agreement offers a guaranteed 80% increase in the portion of customer service calls handled exclusively by wireless workers in the US who are CWA members, along with first-ever job security language that guarantees a job for workers whose store or call center is closed or whose job title is eliminated. On the compensation and take-home pay front, $2,500 has been shifted from commission to base pay for 14,000 retail workers, making pay more stable. There will be an increase in on-call pay for technicians, and AT&T will enable flat health insurance cost-sharing to minimize out-of-pocket costs for workers. When a tentative deal was announced in Dec, the union also said that retail workers will be paid an average of $19.20, which is 74% more than the national average for retail workers.