In Historic Meeting, AT&T Units Strategize for Bargaining

Voice, data, video and wireless – it's a far different AT&T than in 1984, when a court-ordered divestiture broke up the telephone system. Now AT&T is the largest unionized private sector employer in the country.

In a historic, first-ever bargaining unit meeting 16 months in advance of 2009 negotiations, some 350 CWA local leaders, staff and Retired Members Council representatives met in St. Louis from Dec. 9-11 to discuss the challenges of the restructured industry and get a jump on bargaining strategy.

"One of the most positive steps we can take is to get health care off the bargaining table," said CWA President Larry Cohen, "and we do that by electing a president, representatives and senators who are committed to affordable, quality health care for all Americans."

District 7 Vice President Annie Hill outlined CWA's strategic health care campaign which also will become the foundation of CWA's political action effort for 2008.  

CWA Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach, who head's CWA's telecom office, noted that, "For the first time in a generation we are looking at the overall scope of the work we have to do, trying to put ourselves in the position of acting strategically instead of always reacting to what our employers do, in this case, AT&T."

He reported on a recent meeting of CWA vice presidents with telecom responsibilities and outlined plans for a Strategic Industry Fund proposal to help build a powerful stewards army within the AT&T ranks "that will be ready to take advantage of the very best weapon we have in our arsenal, the ability to do the unexpected."

Vice Presidents Chris Shelton, District 1; Noah Savant, District 3; Seth Rosen, District 4; Andy Milburn, District 6; Tony Bixler, District 9; Ralph Maly, C&T and Pete Catucci's Administrative Director Ron Collins, District 2, also attended the St. Louis meeting.

In addition to discussing local issues in bargaining unit sessions, CWA leaders got an overview of the overall bargaining climate and AT&T's position in a changing industry.

The AT&T Mobility (formerly Cingular Wireless) contract in District 6 expires in February 2008. The agreements for AT&T Mobility "Orange Contract" (Districts 1, 2, 4, 7, 9 and 13) expire in February 2009, Southern New England Telephone, Midwest, Southwest, Pacific and Legacy "T" expire in April 2009 and the (former) Bell South agreement expires in August 2009.