"Retiree health care is a major issue. At the start of 2026, Verizon retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare face huge increases in their health care premiums. Verizon has not hired much over the past 20 years, as technological changes - including the move to fiber optics and wireless - have dramatically reduced the workforce. Most remaining workers are retirement-eligible, with either 30 years of service or a combined 75 years of service plus age."
"Another issue is that more recent hires form a lower tier, with weaker layoff protections, pensions, and retiree health care benefits than earlier hires. CWA also has three contracts coming up with AT&T next year. The AT&T Mobility "Orange" contract, covering 9,000 workers, the biggest of the four contracts in the company's wireless arm, expires February 13. And AT&T contracts covering 5,000 wireline (landline and fiber) workers in the Midwest and another 2,200 wireline workers across the country expire April 11."
Multiple major union contracts across sectors expire in 2026, creating potential for strikes nationwide. The contract covering 20,000 Verizon workers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic expires on August 1. Since a seven-week strike in 2016, Verizon and unions agreed to two extensions but not another this year. Retiree health care and steep premium increases for pre-Medicare retirees are central disputes. Technological shifts to fiber and wireless have reduced hiring and left many workers retirement-eligible while newer hires occupy a lower tier with weaker benefits. CWA faces three AT&T expirations early in 2026, and a DHL Teamsters contract expires March 31.
Read at Truthout
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