AT&T reaches tentative contract with 18,500 wireline employees - Dayton Business Journal:

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The region includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigahn and Wisconsin. Negotiations continue for all remaininfg regions, Candice Johnson, a representative for the , said The tentative labor contract with the Midwest region includesa three-yeadr agreement with pay and pension increases, cost-of-living adjustmentds and health care benefits that include fully funded preventivs care and health reimbursement the union for employees and AT&T T) said Wednesday. The employees affected by the tentative agreement include callcenter staffers, customer service representativesa and technicians. The employees were representee bythe CWA.
Johnson said employee s in the union still have to ratifyhthe agreement. The vote takes placr Aug. 7. The agreement does not end AT&T’d negotiations with communications workers. Johnson said that AT&T stilk has 100,000 CWA employees in other divisions in the procesz of labor contract negotiations but that she remains optimisticc because key health care concerns were addressed in the latesgtentative contract. “What was difficult is we are in astrugglin economy,” she said. “The healt care crisis has affectedevery negotiation. It was very important for workerse to maintain quality healthcare benefits.
” She addedx that the company agreed to continue working with union members on health Despite telecommunications companies’ focus on wireless services, Johnsohn said the need for wireline services and workers is very much “I think that AT&T has shownb that you need a good wireline base,” she adding that wireless systems are oftemn built off the wireline networks. “If you look at the number of yes there isa decrease,” Johnson said, but she added that integratinv the wireless and wireline networks into efficient networks remainw a crucial part of the business.