CWA Reaches Three-Year Agreement with Avaya

Washington, D.C. -- The Communications Workers of America has reached a tentative three-year agreement with Avaya that provides wage and pension improvements, protects retiree health care and enhances employment security, among other gains.

The agreement covers about 5,000 workers at the company. The contract expired May 31, but the parties continued to negotiate past expiration to reach the tentative agreement. Workers had voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a fair contract could not be reached.

CWA Vice President Ralph Maly, who heads CWA's communications and technologies sector and who led the union's bargaining team, said the agreement achieves what CWA set out to accomplish. He commended the bargaining committee for bringing in an agreement that addresses workers' key concerns.

The settlement retains the variable workforce agreement and includes other gains in employment security. It provides for a three percent wage increase in each year of the three-year contract, a three-percent yearly increase in pension bands and safeguards for retiree health coverage. In return, CWA agreed to some sharing of health care costs, but there is no shifting of any premium costs to workers or retirees.

Maly said the mobilization effort by CWA members was a major factor in bringing the negotiations to a successful conclusion. CWA will hold contract explanation meetings to answer questions about the proposed settlement; the membership ratification vote will take place within the next four to six weeks.

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