WASHINGTON – Following pressure from Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Frontier Communications agreed to a fair union contract with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union representing its Navajo workers. The new three-year contract includes pay increases for workers on the Navajo nation and ensures they are paid fairly for the essential services they provide.
“Back in September, I called out Frontier Communications for paying Navajo Nation workers less for the same skilled work and urged them to negotiate in good faith with CWA. These workers keep families, schools, and hospitals connected, often under tougher conditions than in the rest of Arizona. I’m glad to see they’re now getting a raise. Accountability works,” said Senator Gallego.
“Senator Gallego’s letter to CEO Nick Jeffery turned the tide on the company’s slow-walking of our wage parity proposal. This agreement takes an important step to close the wage gap our Native American employees faced, and we appreciate the Senator’s continued partnership,” said Fernando Roman, Campaign Lead with CWA.
In September, Senator Gallego called on Frontier Communications CEO Nick Jeffery to negotiate in good faith with CWA and close the company’s longstanding wage gap for workers on Navajo Nation.
Frontier employees on the Navajo Nation deliver essential telecom services that keep families, schools, healthcare providers, and businesses connected—often under more difficult conditions than in other parts of the state due to the Nation’s geography, weather, and limited resources. Despite performing the same highly skilled work as their counterparts elsewhere in Arizona, these workers were paid less than Frontier employees in other parts of the state.
Frontier’s original contract with the CWA expired at the end of last March.