AT&T "Legacy T" Bargaining Report #32

Today the Bargaining Team continued to put language across the table to counter the Company's retrogressive demands in many of the articles.  We also presented a group of demands to try to restore some of the differentials that had been removed from Article 43 when it was first bargained – like Sunday differentials, double time, shifted tour differentials – and resist some things AT&T is attacking this bargaining – like the watermark and the language that requires the filling of contractor jobs.

We received a question from a member and thought some of the rest of you might have the same question so here it is (expletive deleted):

Question (from a member in California):

"What is being referred to as 'Electronic Monitoring'?  What the h--- is that?  Also, in regards to training, the 'Company' wants us to maintain these pieces of … switches when they aren't even giving us the proper training!  3 day general architectural overviews and supposed on-line computer based training is not going to get the job done … It's hard to get the job done, when you don't have the proper tools.  I thought the 'Company' is moving towards 'the latest technologies'.  So why haven't we received any info as to new training, or is it only geared towards certain Divisions that are making more money for the 'Company' i.e. Wireless?"

Answer:

The "electronic monitoring" is language in the Contract that mainly affects members in call centers, sales workers, teleconference operators, or any title where the Company want to listen in on calls for "quality" or "training" purposes.  This language requires the Company to inform a person in advance that they are being monitored.  It protects workers from being written up or disciplined for something a manager hears when they are monitoring our people.  The Company wants to substantially weaken this language.

In terms of training, that is being discussed in a lot of parts of the Legacy T contract.  We had demands to increase the mandatory 40 hours of training.  We had demands to allow us to use the grievance procedure (which we now cannot) if members are not getting the required amount of training.  We have raised the issue that the Company must not eat up the 40 hours of training (which is supposed to be for skills training) for Company-mandated "code of conduct" training or other things that don't improve our skills.  We have had many, many discussions on "new and emerging" technology language and the need for the current workforce to be prepared for and given access to those jobs.  Language on that is being passed across all bargaining tables.  In addition, we are fighting to maintain adequate funding for the Alliance, which has trained more of our members than any Company training has ever done.

If other questions come in that we think other members might also have, we will try to answer them (if time allows).  Keep up the good work on Mobilization, and those not putting 100% into it … it's time to get moving.