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AT&T Delegates Set Action Plan
Mobilization was the buzzword at the CWA Communications and Technologies Leadership Conference, where nearly 300 officers from CWA locals laid out an action plan for AT&T bargaining this year.
Local union officers representing members at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Avaya Communications and Agere Systems attended the three-day session.
AT&T delegates adopted the 2002 bargaining resolution that calls for secure jobs and access for members to the jobs in the growth areas of the company, along with protecting our members from layoffs, continued outsourcing and other cutbacks as AT&T attempts to "take the cost out of doing business," the bargaining council said.
In customer service, bargaining goals include a reversal of the contracting out that has harmed quality service in customer care work, as well as provisions to reduce stress, provide greater flexibility in scheduling, and strengthen safeguards against abusive monitoring, time measurement and adherence and unreasonable sales objectives.
Other goals include organizing rights for work in the growth areas of the company, improvements in retirement security, a fair wage increase, maintaining and improving health benefits, and continued opportunity for training and education to enable workers to upgrade their skills.
Ralph Maly, CWA vice president for communications and technologies, reported that mobilization is well underway among AT&T locals, building support for 2002 bargaining. The mobilization plan includes informational picketing, actions at AT&T-sponsored events, work site meetings, local and national actions and a countdown to May 11, among other activities.
Negotiations open Mar. 11 for a new contract covering 25,000 CWA members at AT&T; the agreement expires May 11.
CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen noted that this round of AT&T bargaining will have all of CWA on the front lines. He noted that CWA President Morton Bahr has called AT&T negotiations CWA's top priority until a fair contract is won.
CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara J. Easterling stressed that top AT&T executives are being rewarded for "running the company into the ground. We must drive home the need for a new direction at AT&T," she said.
Local union officers representing members at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Avaya Communications and Agere Systems attended the three-day session.
AT&T delegates adopted the 2002 bargaining resolution that calls for secure jobs and access for members to the jobs in the growth areas of the company, along with protecting our members from layoffs, continued outsourcing and other cutbacks as AT&T attempts to "take the cost out of doing business," the bargaining council said.
In customer service, bargaining goals include a reversal of the contracting out that has harmed quality service in customer care work, as well as provisions to reduce stress, provide greater flexibility in scheduling, and strengthen safeguards against abusive monitoring, time measurement and adherence and unreasonable sales objectives.
Other goals include organizing rights for work in the growth areas of the company, improvements in retirement security, a fair wage increase, maintaining and improving health benefits, and continued opportunity for training and education to enable workers to upgrade their skills.
Ralph Maly, CWA vice president for communications and technologies, reported that mobilization is well underway among AT&T locals, building support for 2002 bargaining. The mobilization plan includes informational picketing, actions at AT&T-sponsored events, work site meetings, local and national actions and a countdown to May 11, among other activities.
Negotiations open Mar. 11 for a new contract covering 25,000 CWA members at AT&T; the agreement expires May 11.
CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen noted that this round of AT&T bargaining will have all of CWA on the front lines. He noted that CWA President Morton Bahr has called AT&T negotiations CWA's top priority until a fair contract is won.
CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara J. Easterling stressed that top AT&T executives are being rewarded for "running the company into the ground. We must drive home the need for a new direction at AT&T," she said.