{West Virginia}...Hundreds of Communications Workers of America union members rallied at Frontier Communications headquarters in Charleston Thursday, calling for worker equality as negotiations for a new contract near a Sunday deadline. Frontier purchased Verizon's wire line assets in July 2010, becoming the top provider of home and cell phone service, as well as internet service. Union employees who worked for Frontier before the acquisition will see their contracts expire later this year, while the contract for the CWA Local 2001 in Charleston runs out at 11:59 P.M. Sunday. Those workers want their new contract to come in line with former Verizon employees who began working for Frontier after the 2010 purchase. Union leaders say the current contracts allow for legacy employees to get paid less and have fewer benefits than former Verizon workers, even though both groups are doing the same work.
