Bargaining Updates

At AT&T Southeast, It's Our Turn

CWA President Chris Shelton is joining hundreds of CWAers and District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt at an informational picket and rally outside AT&T headquarters in Atlanta this Saturday. Members throughout District 3 are fired up and have been showing their support for the bargaining team in rallies and other actions. Locals also are holding mobilization training, and are making sure everyone is ready with picket line schedules and other information if needed.

As negotiations continued with AT&T Southeast, the CWA bargaining team stressed that the negotiations were about "respect, a better quality of family life and keeping good jobs in our communities."

AT&T is a very profitable company, with profits last year of $6.5 billion and second quarter 2015 revenues topping $33 billion. AT&T also recently completed a $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV.

But, in bargaining, AT&T continues to make outrageous demands of the workers who have made it successful. The company continues to insist on open-ended hiring of temporary workers and cuts in healthcare and retirement security. The company has not responded to workers' concerns about the excessive amounts of forced overtime hours that make meeting family and personal needs extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Members of CWA Local 3109, family and supporters in Pensacola, Fla., hold a contract countdown watch party.

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In Lafayette, La., members of CWA Local 3406 counted down the hours to contract expiration.

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Local 3212 members in Columbus, Ga., stand strong for a fair contract.

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CWA Local 3120 members in Broward County, Fla., hold an informational picket.

Stand Up to Verizon

Mobilization is in full gear at locals throughout CWA Districts 1 and 2-13, as members stand up to Verizon and build increased community support for keeping good jobs, ensuring quality service and building out FiOS broadband.

CWA and members of the IBEW are working without a contract as negotiations go forward. Keep up with the latest here.

CWA has launched another round of radio ads, taking on Verizon's failure to honor its agreement to build out its high speed fiber optic FiOS service to communities throughout the Verizon footprint. The ads, personalized for each state in the Verizon footprint, point out that customers can't count on Verizon.

"Can we count on Verizon to provide high speed internet and reliable phone service to customers and maintain good jobs for working families? Check the facts.

Despite profits of $1 billion per month, millions of people can't get FiOS and risk losing reliable phone service because of poor maintenance while Verizon outsources thousands of jobs and cuts workers' take home pay.

Pennsylvanians just can't count on Verizon."

Listen to the ads here.

The New York State Public Service Commission held a hearing in Poughkeepsie this week to investigate complaints about Verizon's service quality and its failure to live up to its agreement to build out FiOS broadband. Lots of CWAers were on hand, and Jim Gescheidle, executive vice president of CWA Local 1120, told the commission that the lack of investment and "too few workers to do the work" meant the copper wireline quality was impaired. Commmunity leaders and customers also spoke out.

CWA members, community and business leaders and customers tell the PSC that Verizon is failing to maintain the network and reneging on its promise to build out FiOS broadband.

Separately the South Jersey Times called out Verizon for showing "utter contempt for New Jersey households that want to hang on to traditional wire landline phone service."

South Jersey government officials have been banding together to hold Verizon accountable for maintaining the copper wireline network that the corporation would prefer to abandon.

Look for the CWA sea of red and lots of mobilization across Verizon territory.

Members of Local 2108 at the customer service center in Silver Spring, Md., dressed in camouflage for the first "Militant Monday."

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National, state and local elected officials show their support for Verizon members as they rally with members of CWA Local 1107 in Rockland County, N.Y. Among those attending: Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY 17th District); Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski; Clarkstown Town Supervisor Alexander J. Gromack; State Sen. David Carlucci, and Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco.

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CWA Local 13100 members are joined by Dover, Del., Mayor Robin Christiansen.

Workers Rally in Camden, N.J., for Fair Contracts

The CWA Camden Coalition, members of CWA Locals 1014 and 1084, held two terrific rallies at City Hall to build support for their fair contract fight.

"Our two locals have been fighting some of same people and on behalf of the same issues for far too long. We're sending a strong message that we're now united and powerful," CWA Local 1084 President George Jackson said. "Our members are fed up with being beaten down and disrespected. We'll keep fighting for justice for as long as it takes," CWA Local 1014 President Karl Walko said.

CWA Local 1014 represents workers throughout Camden County, including 311 employees of the City of Camden. CWA Local 1084 represents 450 Camden County Board of Social Services workers.

The CWA Camden Coalition marched and rallied for fair contracts for city workers, members of Local 1014, and for members of Local 1084 who work for the Board of Social Services.