AT&T Mobilization Report #6

The mobilization pressure in the field continues to build as the Bargaining Team returns to the table.

It was stated in Bargaining Report #38 that CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Bill Bates called the Bargaining Team back to Washington, D.C., after being sent home due to the lack of serious bargaining by AT&T.  We sent the Company a clear message that CWA Bargainers were not going to waste time waiting for AT&T to start serious bargaining or wait for them to move on OUR issues. That, combined with increased mobilization in many of the Locals, seems to have had an effect; the Company has approached Vice President Bates with the indication that they are ready for some serious negotiations. 

It’s not time to let up… it’s time to continue to turn the heat up.   If your Local has not started public leafleting it is time to do that, in addition to all of the actions on the job.

Here are just some of the actions that have taken place since the Shareholder meeting in Spokane, Washington.  

Local 1051

Members continue to wear red on Thursdays.  Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire have refused to be on-call, putting Managers back to Manager duties.  The only effective answer to organized greed is organized labor.

Local 1058

Members continue to subscribe to the “no business as usual” philosophy.  On April 24, 2015 members stood up at the beginning of the Shareholder’s meeting.  They continue to work to rule and wear red on Thursdays.  Many members were disappointed that we did not go out on strike, but trust the Bargaining Team and CWA Leaders to make the best decisions on the members’ behalf, so they continue to provide the best possible service to AT&T’s customers.  Local 1058 is committed to support our CWA Bargaining Team and continue to do so.

Local 1150

Members are keeping up the pressure with daily activities. People have become creative with making their own signs and hanging them in their cubicals; most are in response to Company announcements like AT&T’s quarterly financial report; "ATT 1st Quarter 2015 $32.6 BILLION in revenue, NO BENEFITS FOR ITS EMPLOYEES."  Members continue working to rule, wearing red (some daily) and standing and clicking at our desks. Informational pickets have been done in both New York and New Jersey and Locals are planning to leaflet multiple Major League Baseball games.

Local 1152

Members have been focusing on the contract battle, in addition to all of the community work they are doing educating the public about the TPP and how bad it is for America and the workers.   Members are standing and chanting twice daily.  In the Care Center members were checking their phone ringer volume at the same time, which received a response from management accusing the members of interfering with business by causing calls to drop.  Activists continue to do a weekly walk in and rally every Thursday.  Members have participated in several rallies against TPP and Fast Track, as reported April 29 on the T&T website.  For more information click here

Local 3250

Healthcare rallies were held in the Morosgo and Alpharetta locations. Members are participating in job actions, including wearing red and remaining focused on quality.

Local 4250

Legacy members handed out flyers for our AT&T Mobility members opposing the Company’s new attendance policy.  Members have been making phone calls opposing the TPP and attending statewide city/town/village meetings to oppose Governor Rauner's attack on labor.  On the job members are wearing red in support of the bargaining teams (Legacy T and Midwest). At work stations members are refreshing signs (supporting bargaining teams). 

Local 6143

Activists continue to support and show solidarity for their Legacy T Union members by handing out small picket signs that read “Fighting For Fairness’’ and “I Support My Bargaining Team” that members are holding during noisy solidarity actions.  Activists participate in on-going Informational Pickets to show the Company that they mean business and they support our Bargaining Team.  

Local 6150

Activists desk drop information twice each week to keep the contract battle in the forefront.  Local leaders use text messages to keep members informed and stress the importance of solidarity.  The Local is still buzzing about the April 15^th rally in front of AT&T headquarters - all the support gave the members more energy to keep up the escalated mobilization actions.  Members are also participating in the pushback on TPP Fast Track, attending rallies, distributing information, calling elected officials and educating the public.  On the job members make noise every hour with clickers in solidarity with Local 6215 daily. 

Local 6215

Members continue to stand and make noise in solidarity for the Legacy T contract.

Local 6350

Activists took CWA’s message to the public.  Fans at the St. Louis Cardinal baseball game received information regarding the FCC fine levied against AT&T for the data breach and how outsourcing jobs hurts the public's security.  Afterwards Members were treated to a Cardinal win! Members are boycotting OT.  The “WAKE UP AT&T” campaign continues, wearing red and letting the company hear us loud and clear. The Local hosted an information picket, cooked hot dogs and talked about important bargaining issues with members and retirees.  Hand billing members and the public continues.  The OT boycott information was shared with all Legacy T locals, including a letter from President Sid Horn.  Here is a piece from that letter which included comments from a fellow Union Brother:  “Just as patriots sacrifice and spill their blood to defend our freedom, Union members ought to have the will to sacrifice to defend our employee rights, security and retirement security.” The letter goes on to say, "I can walk out if a strike is called. I can refuse overtime.  I will not shore-up employment policies that hurt customer satisfaction, quality and employee morale.  Remember this the next time you are refused a day off.  A call center employee in an overseas office is not equal to the task of an employee here in America."

"The Company has consistently divided the workforce every Contract since 1995.  The question is, what are YOU willing to do about it?  Making noise and walking informational pickets isn't enough.  Stop working overtime until a fair contract has been negotiated.  Be prepared to go further.  Forget owning and wearing the t-shirt - WE NEED TO LIVE THE T-SHIRT.  We have been provoked, it's time to......" The Local also did a CWA bake sale to support the March of Dimes instead of the Company taking credit for all of the money the members raise.  The Local 6350 Community Services Committee will be matching the $200 raised by the bake sale.

Local 6402

Activist held a phone bank for questions on what was currently going on at the Legacy T Bargaining table.  Many attended a Black Lives Matter Sunflower Community Action Committee Dinner with Speaker Crump.  Members rallied at the Mobility and Cricket stores May 1^st, opposing the Mobility attendance policy changes and explaining the challenges around Legacy T bargaining.  Members continue to support community and political actions by attending rallies and demonstrations regarding hiring, raising the wage, new standard of living and opposing TPP.

Local 6450 

President Billy Moffett and Secretary Treasurer Kimberly Humphrey attended the Shareholders meeting.  Simultaneously, back at home, members stood in solidarity and released all the balloons at their desks.  The company gives call center reps a balloon for every sale:  several workers have up to 10 or more balloons at one time.  By releasing the balloons they were telling the company "NO MORE HOT AIR!  WE WANT A FAIR CONTRACT!"  Members are now boycotting all balloons, as well as other branded gifts in, exchange for a fair contract.  Local 6450's mobilization committee passed out RED balloons and fliers that read "NO BALLOONS! FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS" to all members.  Members wrote what they want - FAIR HEALTHCARE, FAIR WAGES, JOB SECURITY on the balloons.  Later that day ALL balloons were popped in Unity.  Local Stewards and Leadership attended a TPP rally with Local 6360 and other community allies in front of Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt’s offices on Friday.  Members attended a TPP walk over the weekend, knocking on doors in the community asking Union members to send in the TPP postcard against Fast Track, educating them and urging them to contact elected officials. Local 6450 thanks the Bargaining Team for securing our Electronic Monitor Language, and appreciates the Team’s fight and sacrifice every day to get a FAIR CONTRACT for ALL Legacy T members. 

Local 7200

Members are eating up as much overtime as they can, filling their pockets in preparation for a strike.

Local 7250

Members hold a weekly Informational Picket on Thursday.  There has been a successful work to rule campaign, with members focused on quality and the best possible service every time.  In response, the Company has been doing random incentives to increase quantity of accounts worked.  The Local continues to have daily rallies in the elevator bank.  The Company has disconnected an automatic handicapped door in response so it won’t stay open during the daily rally as dozens of workers chant for a fair contract.  Coordinated bathroom breaks (and other events like the elevator rallies) are joined by HR and other Managers to see who participates.  Members launched a campaign to stop participating in Company fund raising events, where the Company looks good in the public for all the charity work our members do. There have been several bribes (increased incentives) to join the March of Dimes walk.  Members continue to withdraw from the Company walk and instead walked and donated money on their own so they would not give the Company credit for member fundraising.  Members are still wearing red every day and are standing, making noise for 5 minutes every hour.  For those that don’t appreciate the noise, ear plugs were purchased, and a daily silent walk around the office was added. 

Local 7750

Members continue to wear red daily. The work area was flooded with red balloons, which were taken outside during the second Big Fat Cat rally.  They were let go in support of the Bargaining Team. Members continue to walk inside as well with signs.

Local 9415

Members stand and stretch hourly as the Company stretches out bargaining. Balloons were distributed for every member to fly at their desks with the message "Contract Now!" and "Fighting for Fairness @ AT&T." Members continue to wear red, making noise and standing hourly, to show the Company they won’t be silent and there will be no business as usual.  Members are viewing personnel records. 

The Local is taking the fight to the public.  There will be no more business as usual until we get a fair contract.   Members from all contracts in the Local handed out hundreds of flyers to customers in front of the AT&T wireless stores, and asked them to wear gloves and masks to help protect our members from illness. There was a great public response on the issue and it engaged many members. 

Several Locals throughout District 4 had members walk off the job in hopes of resolving Local grievances that were not being resolved by the Company.  

Want your Local actions to be included in future reports?  Submit them to cwa.mobilization@gmail.com

Mobilization pictures that have been submitted are posted in the Mobilization photo album

Share Mobilization ideas, including educational flyers your Local has created for your members, by sending them to cwa.mobilization@gmail.com

Report all retaliation and threats from the Company from Mobilization to ishabazz@cwa-union.org, along with any unfair labor practice charges that Locals are filing against AT&T for their interference in our right to concerted actions.

MOBILIZE! MOBILIZE! MOBILIZE!  We are the Union and the power behind the Bargaining Team.  Show AT&T that we are serious, get involved and escalate actions.   They say “TAKE BACKS”, we say “FIGHT BACK”.    

Stay Strong! Stay Mobilized!