AT&T "Legacy T" Bargaining Report #52

The Committee met formally yesterday with the Company.  They withdrew another retrogressive proposal, this time their intention to increase the overtime build for double time from 8 hours to 9 hours.  So, after four months, we are back were we started on that issue.  The Company also agreed to a language improvement in Article 30 (Subcontracting) that can bring violating contracted work back into the bargaining unit.  They also agreed to refund the Alliance at a high level.  Although there are some changes, we protected the ARC/ATS/ARS Coordinator positions, which are crucial to our surplus members and those using the AT&T Transfer/Rehire System.

On the other hand, they rejected our proposal to give us access to work in emerging technologies, despite what we all know – these "new" technologies grew out of technologies we already work on.  We have proved over and over again that, as technology has changed, our workforce has proved more than capable of mastering these new skills.  This is just another reason why our fight for stronger job security language is so crucial.  They also had the nerve to reject a small increase for some of our lowest paid workers – our relay operators.

They also passed 5 more possible Health Care plan designs, but none of them meet the needs of our members.  All their proposals include a 10% co-insurance on all medical visits (including tests and hospital stays) except preventative care.  Our current plan has set co-pays instead, which is what we are fighting for.

As you can see, we are still focusing on OUR issues at our bargaining table.  This is not the time to let up or give up.  More than ever we need you to focus all your energy on the only culprit in this bargaining – the greed of AT&T management.