The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Frontier Communications have reached a new contract agreement, covering 1,400 workers who had been on strike in West Virginia and Ashburn, Va., for the last three weeks.
CWA-represented Frontier workers in these areas will return to work Wednesday, according to the union. Workers went on strike earlier this month after failing to reach a deal following 10 months of ongoing contract negotiations.
CWA said its members look forward to returning to work and addressing service issues that arose during the strike as soon as possible.
In the coming weeks, members will be briefed on the agreement and vote on the proposal.
“I could not be more proud of our members,” said Ed Mooney, VP of CWA District 2-13, in a statement. “Going on strike is never easy. But they knew what was at stake for their co-workers and for their communities. Thanks to their strength and unity, our bargaining team has reached an agreement with Frontier that will ensure that they will continue to have good, family supporting jobs.”
The strike atmosphere between CWA workers and Frontier was somewhat unsurprisingly contentious during the strike, with Frontier seeking an injunction from Kanawha County Circuit Court to stop the striking workers from participating in what the company called “rampant unlawful activity.”
Frontier claimed that striking employees blocked access to and from Frontier locations and property, and threated and committed violence against non-union Frontier employees and contractors brought in to provide services during the strike.
CWA was not concerned with the request, with Mooney saying at the time that Frontier wanted “to use the courts to subdue their workers, so they continue to use strike-breakers.”
