August 25, 2020
On Friday, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved Frontier’s Plan of Reorganization. CWA has been monitoring the proceeding as a member of the Unsecured Creditors Committee, and participated in negotiations over the plan of reorganization. As a result of the involvement of CWA members in the bankruptcy process, this confirmed plan does not include changes to our collective bargaining agreements or benefits.
Protecting our benefits and collective bargaining agreements was a priority during these negotiations. There are, however, many outstanding questions about the effect of the plan on frontline employees and whether or not Frontier will follow through on badly-needed investments in broadband deployment and service quality.
The plan of reorganization must still be approved by state regulatory agencies and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Although several states have weighed in, many of the states where Frontier has a significant presence–including California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia–have not.
We have already asked the FCC to take a close look at whether the plan of reorganization is in the public interest. We have asked the Commission to require Frontier to commit to investing in its network to support all Frontier customers and to no job reductions post-restructuring so that it has the sufficient resources and trained workforce needed to improve Frontier’s struggling infrastructure. A copy of the comments that we submitted to the FCC is available at cwa-union.org/20200820-Frontier-FCC.
Your continued involvement in this process will be critical as we fight to save jobs at Frontier and serve our customers. Many of you will have opportunities to provide input on Frontier’s plan with your state regulatory agencies. Your voice matters. As I’ve said many times over the past few months, you are the people who know what is really happening at Frontier, and you are the ones who understand what it will take for Frontier to get back on track.
Your hard work has kept the company afloat through years of mismanagement. We must ensure that CWA members are part of Frontier’s future, and hold Frontier accountable to its customers and to the communities it serves.
In Unity,
Christopher M. Shelton
President