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Breakthrough at AT&T: National Solidarity Compaign Produces Results
CWA’s national campaign to convince AT&T to live up to its contract — along with the July 11 solidarity demonstrations that brought thousands of CWAers together with other union members in coast-to-coast demonstrations — has produced an important breakthrough for organizing and bargaining at new AT&T subsidiaries.
The agreement removes the club that AT&T had been using to thwart organizing efforts among Broadband workers by ensuring that all cable workers are entitled to retirement security — the 401(k) and employer match, as well as any new retirement plan AT&T develops for Broadband workers.
The agreement provides for cardcheck recognition at specific locations and other remedies for anti-union actions committed by AT&T management at subsidiaries including Wireless, Local Service and Broadband. It also sets up a mechanism for mediation and fact-finding in the negotiation of new contracts, with a mediator to make settlement recommendations after 90 days of bargaining, Jim Irvine, CWA vice president for Communications and Technologies, said.
“We won this big breakthrough because of our solidarity, but we have a lot of work ahead of us,” CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said. “Our challenge now is to build on this agreement and step up our organizing efforts, particularly in Broadband. Bringing representation and workplace rights to workers throughout the AT&T system must be among our top priorities.”
Irvine called on AT&T workers to be ready to move ahead in CWA’s campaign to again make AT&T a “union company, wall to wall.” Stressing that “the future of our members at AT&T is at stake,” Irvine called on CWA members at AT&T to build on the victory by stepping up their mobilization and support for organizing and bargaining at all AT&T units.
The agreement grew out of CWA’s campaign to press AT&T to abide by the neutrality and consent election agreement negotiated as part of the May 1998 contract. CWA filed an unfair labor practice charge that cited AT&T for violating these provisions; other charges also have been filed over AT&T’s anti-union activities at its new subsidiaries. Determinations on these charges are pending.
The National Labor Relations Board has agreed with CWA in a case involving AT&T Broadband in Arlington, Texas, and issued a complaint finding that management threatened workers, interfered with their right to form a union, spied on employees and made certain that workers knew the company was watching them.
CWA’s national campaign has been focusing public attention on how AT&T, while downsizing, has been blocking employees from moving into new jobs where customers could benefit from their skills, training and experience and workers would have access to the jobs of the future.
The July 11 solidarity demonstrations brought out thousands of CWAers in more than three dozen communities across the country, joined by Jobs with Justice activists, community supporters and members of the Electrical Workers, Screen Actors Guild and Television and Radio Artists. SAG and AFTRA members are protesting AT&T’s use of non-union actors in commercials while their strike against television and radio producers continues.
The agreement removes the club that AT&T had been using to thwart organizing efforts among Broadband workers by ensuring that all cable workers are entitled to retirement security — the 401(k) and employer match, as well as any new retirement plan AT&T develops for Broadband workers.
The agreement provides for cardcheck recognition at specific locations and other remedies for anti-union actions committed by AT&T management at subsidiaries including Wireless, Local Service and Broadband. It also sets up a mechanism for mediation and fact-finding in the negotiation of new contracts, with a mediator to make settlement recommendations after 90 days of bargaining, Jim Irvine, CWA vice president for Communications and Technologies, said.
“We won this big breakthrough because of our solidarity, but we have a lot of work ahead of us,” CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said. “Our challenge now is to build on this agreement and step up our organizing efforts, particularly in Broadband. Bringing representation and workplace rights to workers throughout the AT&T system must be among our top priorities.”
Irvine called on AT&T workers to be ready to move ahead in CWA’s campaign to again make AT&T a “union company, wall to wall.” Stressing that “the future of our members at AT&T is at stake,” Irvine called on CWA members at AT&T to build on the victory by stepping up their mobilization and support for organizing and bargaining at all AT&T units.
The agreement grew out of CWA’s campaign to press AT&T to abide by the neutrality and consent election agreement negotiated as part of the May 1998 contract. CWA filed an unfair labor practice charge that cited AT&T for violating these provisions; other charges also have been filed over AT&T’s anti-union activities at its new subsidiaries. Determinations on these charges are pending.
The National Labor Relations Board has agreed with CWA in a case involving AT&T Broadband in Arlington, Texas, and issued a complaint finding that management threatened workers, interfered with their right to form a union, spied on employees and made certain that workers knew the company was watching them.
CWA’s national campaign has been focusing public attention on how AT&T, while downsizing, has been blocking employees from moving into new jobs where customers could benefit from their skills, training and experience and workers would have access to the jobs of the future.
The July 11 solidarity demonstrations brought out thousands of CWAers in more than three dozen communities across the country, joined by Jobs with Justice activists, community supporters and members of the Electrical Workers, Screen Actors Guild and Television and Radio Artists. SAG and AFTRA members are protesting AT&T’s use of non-union actors in commercials while their strike against television and radio producers continues.