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Striking Verizon workers reach tentative deal

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Verizon employees who have been striking will return to work Wednesday after reaching a tentative deal, according to Monday reports.

The nearly 40,000 workers who have been striking reached a tentative contract agreement that includes 1,300 new call center jobs and about 11 percent in raises over four years.

{mosads}It also includes $1,250 in signing bonuses and healthcare reimbursements for new workers, a 25 percent increase in unionized crews maintaining the company’s utility poles in New York and three 1 percent increases in pensions.

Changes that will save the company money include using Medicare Advantage plans.

Union members will vote on the deal following their return to work.

Both the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said the agreement was successful.

“We are turning the tide from cutbacks against working people to building a stronger labor movement and strengthening the power of working Americans,” Dennis G. Trainor, vice president of the union’s District 1 in the Northeast, said in a statement. 

Marc Reed, chief communications officer for Verizon, said the deal will “allow our business to be more flexible and competitive.”

Some workers have been without a contract since August, according to The Associated Press. The strike began in mid-April.

Unions say Verizon was looking to freeze pensions and make it easier to lay off workers and use contractors.

During the strike, Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton engaged with workers, expressing sympathy for their situation.

Tags Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton

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