AT&T Legacy T Mobilization Report #14

As we approach 2 months post expiration, Local Officers, Members, Activists & Retirees continue with mobilization.

Hear from CWA Vice President Ralph Maly and the Bargaining Team live tonight at 7:00 PM Eastern time.  Contact your Local to see how you can join in on tonight’s call, or follow up with them tomorrow to learn what you can do to help move AT&T toward a fair contract at the bargaining table.

If you haven’t taken the opportunity to fill out the postcard to Randall Stephenson & John Stanke, please do so.  You can find them on www.cwa-union.org/postcard.  Allies and supporters can also fill out the cards, so pass the information on to your family and friends.

Our collective action inside and outside the Company is the only way to maintain affordable healthcare, protect our job security language, and get the fair and equitable contract we all need and deserve.

All members should continue to work safely and provide the outstanding quality that CWA members are known for.  If you witness any unsafe working conditions or OSHA violations, report them to your Local Stewards or Officers.  You can also contact OSHA directly and then notify your Local Union.  Make sure your safety and protective gear is functioning properly.

We need to you to apply public pressure to help move the bargaining table.  If your Local mobilization committee is unsure what type of actions you should be doing, please contact your District Mobilization Coordinator listed below.

Many Locals have stepped up actions.  If yours hasn’t, what are you waiting for?  If you need ideas, have your Local President talk with a Mobilization Coordinator (because actions have been escalating, not all actions are reportable).  You can also take a look below.

Here are some of the reportable actions from around the country:

Local 1150 has been holding weekly rallies on Wednesday and continues inside mobilization w/ daily stands and noise-making, and members continue wearing RED and BLACK.

Local 1152 continue its inside activities with multiple daily stands & chants.  Members are wearing RED & BLACK and participate in Rallies and a mass walk-in on Thursdays.  Best Buy and Radio Shack retail store organizing continues.

Local 1153 members, working closely with Local 1150, held a rally in front of the building.  Members signed postcards and letters to the Governors in New York and Connecticut.

Local 2204 members are continuing to wear red shirts.

Local 2252 members continue to escalate noise levels within the office and continue to wear RED.  Outside actions also continue in public.

Local 3250 members continue inside and outside public actions.  Rallies were held at work locations.  Organizing retailer stores remains a focus of the Local.

Local 4250 stepped up inside mobilization actions.  Members, Retirees, and Officers continued their organizing drive at Best Buy and Radio Shack in IL & IN.  Meanwhile, the Local assisted UFCW with their WalMart organizing campaign.

Local 4998 wears RED Thursdays & BLACK Friday.  Members participated in healthcare day actions.  Activists have continued the Q message campaign, have requested to receive a live paycheck from the Company, and continue to do the highest quality job with every customer interaction every day.  The Local has continued to grow their text message and email trees to keep members informed about bargaining and with mobilization actions they can participate in.

Local 6201 members continue to walk in together as a show of solidarity, followed by chanting.  Inside actions including tapping throughout the day, refusal to wear branded apparel, wearing armbands; RED Thursdays and BLACK Fridays continue.  Activists keep the membership informed regarding the status of bargaining and upcoming mobilization actions.  Mobilizers continue to raise public awareness regarding AT&T’s corporate greed.  Members are providing the best possible customer service on every call, and the organizing committee has visited several retail stores that sell AT&T products and services to try to organize those workers into CWA.

Local 6350 members continue to show support for bargaining by wearing RED Thursdays and BLACK Fridays.  The weekly rally/demonstration was cancelled due to severe weather.  Members continue inside actions like making noise all day long.  Activists continued the organizing campaign with Apple and Best Buy.

Local 6450 continues to wear RED Thursdays & BLACK Fridays.  Members make noise sporadically throughout the day to catch managers off guard.  ALL of the WTF stickers and signs that had been taken down last week when upper management was visiting our call centers have been replaced.  Activists & Officers reached out to the public and our local politicians to gain additional support for our contract.  Several members attend the Democratic BBQ this weekend at Rep. Emanuel Cleavers' house, and received a commitment from several local politicians who have stated they are on the Union’s side against AT&T’s corporate greed.  The organizing campaign continues with visits to stores in the KC metro area, including Best Buys and Radio Shacks, after work and on weekends.

Local 7050 members continue actions both on the job and in public.

Local 7250 actions continue, even though members were threatened by the Company over mobilization actions that were previously being escalated in the workplace and on the job.  NLRB charges over AT&T’s attempt to block or stop concerted actions were previously filed.  A new mass grievance over the threat of discipline of some employees was filed last week as well.  The weekly rally that is normally held on the street was brought into the elevator bank Thursday, and continued on the lunch hour Friday.

Local 7750 members remain committed and have been escalating actions in many work locations.  Flag pole rallies continue in Denver.  Members keep each other focused and engaged in the fight for a fair contract.

Local 9415 members who work in Sacramento at the CNSC and LNS offices held picket signs and a banner on a busy street corner in Sacramento last week during lunch.  The banner said, “AT&T- Your world Plundered”.  Local 9421 officers and members joined in support.  Approximately 200 flyers were distributed to the community.  The people were really receptive to the message regarding good middle class jobs being shipped overseas by AT&T.  The community was very supportive and appreciative of the Union making this issue public, and some joined the demonstration.

Local 13500 members continued to make noise every hour on the hour and continued to take Health Care breaks on Friday.

Local 13550 members passed out flyers to the membership focusing on Corporate Greed, and continued to encourage members, family, and friends to visit the Healthcare website.  Members participated in health break actions each day and continually increase the noise levels in the office, and continue to bring our message to the public.

Local 13552 has everyone wearing RED Thursdays and BLACK Fridays.

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Members continue to move into action across all states as we bring our campaigns against AT&T's corporate greed into more community events.  Locals have already been to golf tournaments, major league baseball games, street festivals, outdoor concerts, summer fairs, farmers markets, etc. 

Anywhere people are gathered, we should be there informing the public about AT&T’s attack on good middle-class jobs, and their refusal to help rebuild the nation’s economy by bringing work back to the United States.  (It doesn’t have to be an AT&T-sponsored event.)

Organizing continues in full swing nationwide.  Best Buy & Radio Shack are 2 major resellers of AT&T products and services.  It is important for us to help organize workers who are doing the same work that CWA members are doing at AT&T.  It is very easy to talk to workers at major retailers.  Get together with one or more co-workers and select a store location near you.  Report your actions to the District Mobilizers below.

If you experience a change in working conditions, please report them to your Local Officers or Stewards and bbates@cwa-union.org.  Also report all violations of our right to concerted actions to bbates@cwa-union.org and your District or Sector Staff.  You will likely be directed to file charges against the Company for violating our right to participate in concerted activities.

Mobilization reports and pictures should be sent to your District Mobilization Coordinator.  If your Local President and Local Mobilization Coordinator have not been receiving flyers or information, please let us know.   

Send pictures and mobilization reports to your mobilization coordinators:
D1 Chris Wise christopherjwise1@gmail.com
D2/13 Mary Lou Schaffer marylouschaffer@msn.com
D3 Glenda Poindexter gotorganize@gmail.com
D4 Dave Skotarczyk davecwa@sbcglobal.net
D6 Sarah Harreus sharreus@sbcglobal.net
D7/D9 Shari Wojtowicz whatawitch@hotmail.com
Staff Rep Jim Cosgrove jcosgrove@cwa-union.org

Mobilization Coordinators: If you are unsure what to do during Mobilization Phase 3, please contact your District Coordinator above.

If you have any problems or questions, call your District Staff person or the National T&T Office.

Stand Strong.  Stay Mobilized.