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AT&T cuts fresh deal with 17,000 CWA strike-threat union workers

But labor worries aren't over yet

AT&T has agreed to a new contract with 17,000 union workers who were threatening a strike.

The deal will cover both AT&T and DirecTV workers who handle the telco's network and services in California and Nevada. It will run for four years, should it be approved by union members.

According to the Communication Workers of America (CWA), the union was able to extract concessions from AT&T including pay rises, improvements in job security and retirement funding, and affordable health insurance for workers.

The contract will be the first to include workers from DirecTV following the satellite TV service's acquisition in 2015.

"I'm proud of their solidarity and of the hard work of our bargaining teams that were determined to reach a fair contract," district vice president Tom Runnion said as he announced the new contract.

The 17,000 workers were among the nationwide pack of CWA workers engaging in sporadic strikes against the telco over frustrations about the lack of a new contract. Prior to agreeing to the new contract on Friday night, the union had been preparing to engage in another weekend strike.

In addition to improved pay and benefits, union members are said to be seeking assurances from AT&T that their jobs won't be cut and moved overseas. Similar concerns over outsourcing were voiced by CWA members last year when negotiating their new contract with Verizon.

While this deal will cut the number of union members working at AT&T without a contract in half, it still leaves much of the country uncovered, and union leaders in other CWA districts will continue negotiating with AT&T. ®

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