In The News: Local 1298 Efforts Save 1,300 AT&T Jobs

"Unity at AT&T" took on a whole new meaning in District 1 this fall as members of CWA Local 1298 in Hartford, Conn. took action leading to a court victory for the company's high-speed broadband and television service called U-Verse, saving 1,300 jobs.

The Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American credited CWA members' activism in "demonstrations and letter-writing campaigns" for the outcome that restored consumer choice and AT&T U-Verse service. District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton said, "With this victory, Local 1298 has shown what a mobilized membership can achieve."

The ruling, by a state Supreme Court judge, overturned a decision by the state utility board that would have blocked AT&T from competing with cable companies. Knowing jobs were at stake, CWA members and scores of supporters rallied, lobbied state officials, sent thousands of letters and even joined with the company in a YouTube video to help the public understand the issues.