CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — The Communications Workers of America announced Sunday that Frontier workers’ current contract has been extended through Aug. 19 and negotiations will continue.

Their contract was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 5.

CWA Local 2001 represents about 1,400 Frontier workers in West Virginia and a small part of Virginia.

The CWA’s statement said in part, “Our members want to be on the job, delivering quality service for their customers and providing for their families. This contract extension will give Frontier executives the opportunity to do the right thing and move towards a fair contract so that we can all stay focused on providing quality service to our customers and building fiber connections to as many homes and businesses across West Virginia as possible.”

Unionized workers are all affected by this new contract and some hit the picket line in Rock Branch on Friday pushing for changes to be made. Union Vice President J.D. Thompson said they’re fighting for job security and paid healthcare benefits, which they said is not included in the new contract the company presented them.

One of their main goals is to limit Frontier Communications from using subcontractors to work on West Virginia’s Broadband Project, stating those workers often don’t have the same training or experience as them.

13 News has reached out to Frontier Communications for a comment on the status of the negotiations and how this will affect customers if workers were to strike. They have not responded.