26,000 CWA Members Approve Pact with AT&T—and More Bargaining News
Some 26,000 CWA members ratify pact with AT&T in the Southwest, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,200 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
CWA, AT&T: AT&T workers in the Southwest ratified a new four-year contract. The 26,000 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 6 had been working under a contract that expired April 4.
IUE-CWA, Dresser Rand: After nearly two years without a contract, workers at Dresser Rand’s Painted Post facility in New York ratified a contract, effective through March 1, 2013. The contract covers 340 members of IUE-CWA Local 313.
AT&T Workers, Flight Attendants and Writers Win Union Victories
More than 300 workers at AT&T Mobility have chosen a voice with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in the past five weeks, providing more proof that workers want the Employee Free Choice Act. If enacted, the bill would give workers the option of choosing whether to join a union through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) process or via majority sign-up or “card-check.” AT&T workers used the majority verification process to join CWA.
Most recently, in Vermont, 81 AT&T Mobility retail store workers voted for CWA Local 1400 through majority sign-up. Since Aug. 21, some 230 workers gained CWA representation at AT&T Mobility in Washington State, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Idaho, and at the online website, truthout.org, which operates in five states and Washington, D.C.
CWA, AT&T Reach Third Tentative Agreement
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) reached another tentative agreement with AT&T. The three-year deal covers nearly 8,000 technicians and service representatives who were part of AT&T Corp., the company acquired by SBC Communications Inc. in 2006. SBC subsequently changed its name to AT&T.
The workers’ main goal in the bargaining was job security. The tentative agreement—the third with AT&T since negotiations began in February—offers the same 8.75 percent hourly wage increases and benefit provisions as those gained for employees at AT&T Midwest and AT&T West. In a statement, CWA Vice President Ralph Maly says:
This agreement achieves our members’ key goal which was to improve employment security and safeguard jobs. It maintains workers’ standard of living and safeguards quality health care. In these extremely difficult economic times, these are tremendous achievements.
Tropicana’s New Owners Get Chance to Treat Workers Fairly, and More Bargaining News
Will the new owners at Atlantic City’s Tropicana casino reverse the previous owner’s anti-worker practices? Get this and more updates here from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,100 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
NEGOTIATIONS
UAW, Tropicana: Members of the UAW at Atlantic City casinos stated that new management at Tropicana has the opportunity for a 180-degree turnaround from past illegal practices and should begin fair negotiations for a first labor agreement.
“It’s hard to believe that a company run by a judge would break the law, but that’s what the National Labor Relations Board is telling us,” said Eric Knuttel, who has been a dealer at Tropicana for 27 years. Tropicana has been administered under a conservatorship by former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Gary Stein since December 2007, after previous owners lost their license to operate the casino.
IBEW Reaches Deal with AT&T
The Electrical Workers (IBEW) reached a tentative three-year agreement with AT&T over the weekend. The new agreement affects 10,000 IBEW members employed at AT&T in New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, California and the Northwest.
The agreement, which still must be ratified by the workers, provides for both wage and pension increases in all three years for a large majority of employees.
Tentative Deal Reached in AT&T Midwest Talks
After nearly five months of negotiations, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and AT&T today reached a tentative agreement in contract negotiations covering some 18,500 employees in the telecom company’s Midwest region.
The union will submit the agreement to the district’s membership for a ratification vote. The current contract expired April 4, and employees have worked under terms of the expired deal while negotiations continued.
The three-year proposed agreement includes pay and pension increases in each year of the pact, as well as provisions addressing cost-of-living adjustments. Employees will retain their health care benefits.
AT&T Shareholders Face Crowd of CWA Members, and More Bargaining News
CWA members turned AT&T’s shareholder meeting into a forum on contract negotiations—and more updates from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
WORK STOPPAGES AND JOB ACTIONS
CWA, AT&T: The San Antonio Express reports that members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) swarmed the AT&T shareholders’ meeting, focusing the meeting on the ongoing contract negotiations. ”We do have a very difficult process we’re going through right now,” AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said. “I don’t think we’re going to resolve this easily. We’re going to have to sit down and work nose to nose.” Get the facts on bargaining at CWA’s AT&T bargaining website.
AT&T Posts $3.3 Billion Profit But Wants to Cut Jobs and Wages
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AT&T reported first quarter profits of $3.3 billion—yet the company is trying to cut quality jobs, wages and benefits with the more than 100,000 union workers who are behind the giant telecom’s success.
“We Are The Network,” a report released today by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), shows AT&T outperforming its competitors, and its stock is beating the Dow Jones average. Analysts are optimistic about the company’s future growth prospects, as it continues to introduce new technologies and bring together its customers’ voice, broadband, video and wireless services.
AT&T wants to shift more health care costs to employees—a move that will save only a fraction of 1 percent of operating costs and one that has a great cost to AT&T in terms of employee morale, according to the union. Such a move would lower workers’ standard of living at a time when the company posted a $3 billion profit, says CWA, which represents the workers.
AT&T Workers: ‘No Way’ to Huge Health Care Cuts and More Bargaining News
Contract talks stalled between 90,000 workers and AT&T over management demands for huge health care cuts and more updates from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
WORK STOPPAGES, JOB ACTIONS
CWA, AT&T: Health care benefits remain a contentious issue in negotiations between more than 90,000 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and AT&T. The CWA bargaining website indicates that management is making outrageous claims that if they cannot make huge cuts to health care, then they will face the same problems as the Big Three automakers. CWA officials characterized the talks as “stalled.”
CWA, New Jersey: Thousands of New Jersey state workers represented by CWA protested against furloughs and wage freezes. ”There were more than 100 picket lines statewide,” said Hetty Rosenstein, New Jersey director for the CWA.
AT&T Contracts Expire; Workers Still on Job
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Nearly 100,000 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) are still on the job at AT&T across the nation, even though their contracts with the telecommunications giant expired over the weekend with many key issues not resolved.
The union says the contracts will not be extended. Workers are keeping open their option to strike. The AT&T workers recently voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a fair contract isn’t reached.
While CWA has made it clear that its members are ready to bargain at any time to resolve the issues and negotiate quality contracts, AT&T has shown little willingness to move forward and reach settlements. There has been little progress on health care, retirement security and employment security, among other issues, according to the union.
You can send a message to AT&T to bargain and reach a fair contract with its employees by clicking here.
