AT&T "Legacy T" Bargaining Report #33

The Union bargaining team spent most of the day working on our health care proposal.  When we met with the Company, we re-submitted proposals that are being passed at all tables on (1) the Movement of Work; (2) National Health Care Reform; and (3) the National Transfer Plan.  We rejected Company proposals on National Health Care Reform and their two transfer plans, since they didn't come close to meeting our needs.  We also rejected their proposal on Alternate Work Schedules, since it included their retrogression on double-time.  We also proposed an increase in board and lodging for our Construction Techs.

We said yesterday that we would try to answer some of the questions that have come in from around the country.  There were a lot of different questions on VTP.  First, the Company has not introduced any proposal to lower either VTP or regular termination pay.  They also have not tried to remove the language from our job security letter that prohibits them from bringing in contractors in Business Services for 6 months and in the Network for 4 months (though they are trying to weaken that language in other ways, including eliminating JOG.)

However, since the Union has had many problems with the Company depopulating titles by using VTP and replacing them with subcontractors (like our building titles), we have tried to strengthen the language so they cannot offer it (without our approval) when there is no surplus.  They rejected our proposals on this.

We have also proposed increasing OTP for the employees in those many titles that are offered VTP.  As usual, our main concern as a Union needs to be to protect the jobs we have, to give us access to jobs in Legacy T and across AT&T, and to give us the training for the new technologies of the future.

The Union is starting a campaign to get legislators to support us in our fight for fairness at AT&T, and is also getting ready to deliver the over 80,000 names on our on-line petition to AT&T.  Make sure every one of you is participating in activities in your Local.