AT&T "Legacy T" Bargaining Report #14

First of all, your bargaining team would like to thank you for your decisive YES vote authorizing a strike if AT&T continues on the road it is going down.  With less than two weeks until expiration, there is going to have to be a lot of progress for us to reach an agreement by expiration.  Now that we have sent them that message, we have to step up other activities.  We need to increase mobilization on the job.  We have to let every customer, large and small, know that AT&T is being irresponsible to them by forcing issues that could lead to a strike.  AT&T is a financially successful company that is not feeling the devastating effects of this financial crisis.  By trying to push massive health care costs onto its employees, it is putting customers – some of whom might be in real financial difficulty – at risk of jeopardizing their telecommunications services.

Today at the bargaining table, the Union put forward a comprehensive proposal aimed at reducing AT&T's Health Care costs – not by shifting them to its employees and using huge co-pays and deductibles to "change behavior."  Our plan rewards employees with chronic conditions who seriously follow the regimens they should to improve their conditions.  It rewards employees who make lifestyle changes such as weight management, exercise, and not smoking.  The Company's proposed high costs would cause workers to avoid necessary follow-up and maybe skimp on their prescription drugs, which will make them sicker over time.  Our proposal will save the Company in the long run by improving the health of the workforce and their dependents.

We had a good discussion at the table but, as we all know, reason doesn't always work during negotiations.  The only thing that will work is for you to keep mobilizing – every worker, in every location.