AT&T Bargaining Updates

CWAers from Local 3403 do informational picketing as bargaining gets underway with AT&T Southeast.

Members of Local 1298 fight to hold on to the American Dream.

CWAers from Telecommunications and Technologies rally for fair contract at AT&T.

CWAers listening to the AT&T national call this week heard updates on the status of bargaining for the five contracts — AT&T East, AT&T Legacy, AT&T Midwest, AT&T West and AT&T Southeast. The nearly 7,000 CWAers also got new reports about escalating mobilization and asked questions about key issues for members and their families.

For the latest updates, go to www.cwaatatt.com.

Vice Presidents Chris Shelton, D1; Ralph Maly, Telecommunications and Technologies; Seth Rosen, D4; Jim Weitkamp, D9, and Judy Dennis, D3, reported on the specifics of their contract talks. All agreed that the goal of all five negotiations continues to be that when the complete contract package is added up, that every member will be better off at the end of the contract than he or she was at the beginning.

Chris Shelton: "Every one of our bargaining teams has worked hard to bargain with this company. In the East, Local 1298 has done an outstanding job; it's the company that is dragging its feet. Members must mobilize; we can't let down our guard now."

Ralph Maly: "Members' mobilization has made a huge difference and is critical to our success in getting a fair contract. The T/T bargaining committee continues to work and has made progress in some key areas, including our cash balance account, national transfer plan and other programs. We're also determined to maintain the Alliance and other programs that the company had tried to eliminate. We still have economic issues yet to be resolved and I know that mobilization will make this happen. We also will continue to work in coordinated effort with Districts 1, 4 and 9 to get the contract that addresses the concerns of all our members."

Seth Rosen: "We're making meaningful progress on a broad range of concerns including employment security, overtime, scheduling, attendance, justice on the job and more. However we still have major issues unresolved including: wages, health care, pensions and successorship. For nearly five months we have worked closely together across Districts and T/T and have made significant progress together. We started with different contracts and will end with different contracts, and thus don't make the same agreements at the same time. That is how CWA democracy works."

Jim Weitkamp: "We continue to face very hard bargaining, especially when it comes to wages, medical benefits and pensions. We need major movement by the company on all these and prem tech issues as well. We're dealing with a very rich, powerful and arrogant company and we've been bargaining for more than four months. At the end of the day, the agreements we all reach will have some differences but overall, will be an improvement for members and their families."

Judy Dennis: "Bargaining in District 3 has just begun, but we're coordinating with all the districts and there is lots of communication happening."

Mobilizers from each district reported on the latest actions:

• In D1, most recently, members of Local 1298 leafleted at local baseball games and held actions at AT&T retailers.
• Telecommunications/Technologies members from Local 6450 leafleted at this week's Major League Baseball All-Star game in Kansas City; other activists were spreading the word outside the AT&T sponsored golf tournament and in organizing actions at retailers.
• D4 reported that training 1,000 activists before bargaining even started really paid off, with mobilization and solidarity actions underway weekly throughout the district.
• In D9, members are taking the fight everywhere, with a huge rally at the state Capitol and actions at the gymnastics trials for the U.S. Olympics.

CWA President Larry Cohen wrapped up the call, pointing out that key to winning this fight was "our ability, across our union, to support each other. Unity means we respect the autonomy of each group, and we will support each other in our fight for health care, for pensions, for good wages, all the things that make up the American Dream."