AT&T, Communications Workers of America reach tentative agreement, strike (currently) averted
By Ross Miller 
posted March 6th 2009 8:24PM
posted March 6th 2009 8:24PM
It looks like that AT&T strike authorized by the Communications Workers of America back in early February won't be coming to fruition. The two have reached a tentative agreement for the around 20,000 unionized workers that have been in contract negotiations. For its part, AT&T's expressed satisfaction with the agreement, but it still has to be submitted for approval by ratification vote from the CWA group members. Of course, should they vote nay, we'll be back to square one. This isn't over yet, so stay tuned.
This is only for the wireless division of the company. The other quarter million cwa workers go on strike April 4th.
why not just post a youtube link instead of SPAM?
Because the only YouTube videos of this song are of fat children... and no one needs to see that.
I think Unions have too much power......they were useful back in the 1850's to 1950's.
i concur. i hate unions
Unions are ruining everything. Look at the auto industry... Who needs labor unions with so many federal laws protecting workers from work conditions like those in China? Blah.
I've sort of lost track (or interest), but I am surprised to learn that CWA is still in the picture.
What difference does it make if they go out?
"The voice with a smile is gone for a while.
The voice with the .....will handle your calls"
I remember when ORTT went out noboy noticed. Not even CWA.
Please strike and then burn AT&T and it's shitty service to the ground. kthxbai
its*
Why can't we edit our posts damnit?!
Because you're suppose to proofread before you submit.
Also if you could edit, some less than honest folk would go back and do less than honest things.
I'll tell you what, if the union can't come to an agreement (which btw, in my view, they ALL should be happy they have a frikin job in the first place), then I will be MORE than happy (along with THOUSANDS of ohter unemployed people) to take their place.
Are you kidding me? they already make 60k a year, i know a couple guys who work for at&t and they f***ing bank, greedy bastards..if i made just 40k working for at&t i'd be happy.
ROFL, the unions having the audacity to even mention STRIKE in this economic downtown is laughable.
I know right, there are like 6 million americans who would love to learn how to work at AT&T...
but those 6 million Americans will have no one to teach them how to work at AT&T...
Its a nice information.
If I call AT&T, promise not to join the union and undercut their current wages, do I win?
if you get 19,999 more people to join you then yes
Go climb a utility pole and work on the cable while the pole is swaying a little in the wind and tell me AT&T techs don't deserve to make $60K a year while the company brings in a PROFIT of $12 Billion.
Like or dislike AT&T, this isn't about people who make 60k wanting more money. The company wants to take away health benefits we already have, including from families and retirees who depend on them. Additionally, U-Verse premises technicians (disclaimer: this is what I am) are making as little as $8/hr and no more than $16/hr (that's the cap) to install and repair IPTV, VoIP, DSL, etc. The type of skillset required to do that job well demands at least $25/hr anywhere else.
While any monkey can run the wire and plug things together according to the training, there is only a handful of us with the deep understanding required to troubleshoot the problems (both IP and physical) that will naturally occur in such an advanced network all while having the charisma to leave customers with a good impression of the company while doing said work. The rest of the technicians depend on those of us who do have that understanding -- and if AT&T blows this contract they will realize how quickly it falls apart when we all leave. I'm CCNA certified and otherwise way overqualified for this job but I took it for the good benefits and keep it in faith that I could have a career with a company that has stood the test of time. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and took the low pay for now, but even the max $16/hour isn't enough to provide for a family -- if this contract doesn't satisfy me, I will leave, and I know I'm not alone.
So, for you guys who laugh at the union fight coming up and say you'd love to have a job like this, I have good news for you -- there is a good chance there will be openings in April. Enjoy your $12/hr. (That's what they start most at.)
You're right! It's disgusting reading these comments. I'm sure everyone at AT&T is happy to be working, but what's wrong with protecting what you already have? AT&T would basically pay you what someone at Target makes if they could. No questions about it, you're lucky to have a union to begin with since they help create an environment where you can actually make a decent living.
Why people hate on this is scary. Really shows how uninformed these comments are. If someone hates AT&T that's one thing, but don't take it out on the people that are just to make a living. AT&T has LOTS of money and why shouldn't they be generous with their technicians when they're the face of the company. No one cares about De La Vega or whatever his name is. I see guys like you working 10 or 12 hours a day, sometimes even 6 days a week if there are a lot of orders or repairs. And the homes you probably go into are filthy. You should be compensated fairly for what you have to deal with.
http://cwa-attmobility.com
FINAL BARGAINING REPORT
| March 3, 2009 |
CWA AND AT&T MOBILITY
FINAL BARGAINING REPORT
March 3, 2009
The following information is a brief summary of the tentative agreement reached between CWA and AT&T Mobility.
A more comprehensive summary will follow along with specific information on a contract ratification vote. Date to be determined.
WAGES/ECONOMIC ISSUES:
1. The General Wage Schedules for all employees will be increased as follows:
TOP BOTTOM
2009 1% 1%
2010 2.5% 2.5%
2011 2.5% 2.5%
2012 2.5% 2.5%
All employees will also receive a $500.00 lump sum payment upon ratification
2. Job Upgrades for the following titles:
*Wireless Technician I and Wireless Technician II titles will be eliminated. All existing employees will move into the Wireless Technician title at the wage schedule associated with the current Wireless Technician II title.
*CSR 1 reps in the Technical Support Group will be upgraded to a new title of Customer Support Specialist with a new maximum rate of $683.00 for year 2009. Current employees in the Technical Support Group above the new maximum rate will receive the general wage increase based on existing wage rates.
*CSR I reps in the Office of the President will be upgraded to a new title of Client Service Specialist with a new maximum wage rate of $672.50 for year 2009.
*CSR I reps and Clerks in the Workforce Operations group will be upgraded to a new title of Workforce Administrator with a new maximum rate of 632.50 for year 2009.
*Care Function Evaluation—Company to evaluate the CSR functions to see if
additional titles should or could be created.
3. On-call pay—increased from $28 to $32 for each day of such assignment
4. Relief Differential—Employees assigned the duty of performing managerial opening and/or
closing (Key Holder) will receive a 10% differential payment for each hour the employee
performs this work.
5. Severance Payment—Increased from a maximum payment of $12,000 to $15,000
6. Travel Payment—Travel time exceeding normal commute time when on a temporary
assignment will be paid as work time. Mileage reimbursement for use of personal vehicles will be reimbursed at the IRS Standard.
7. Sales Compensation Plan
*Minimum at-risk commission pay of $12,000/year for years 2009 and
and 2010 and $12,500/year for years 2011 and 2012 for those reaching 100% of their
targeted goal
*National Sales Compensation Committee –to be reestablished
8. Quota Relief—quota relief for 8 hour increments of time (8 aggregate hour in a calendar
month) has been added for discipline purposes only.
OTHER ISSUES:
1. Definition of Employees—If the Company reclassifies from Full Time to Part Time, they will seek
volunteers first and then force in reverse order.
2. Seniority—seniority will apply to all Articles and LOA’s and the middle two digits of SSN will be
used as tie breaker when employees have same NCS date and same last 4 of SSN
3. Work Assignments—Laid off employees will be given priority placement for rehire
4. Non-Discrimination—Company will not discriminate against an employee because of ones
position or membership or non membership in the union
5. Company-Union Relationship—increase in union time from 240 hours to 300 hours and up to
20 reps may take or pool up to 960 hours each/year. (20 X 960= 19,200 hours)
6. Vacations—Company will maximize the allotment of vacation weeks during the most desirable vacation periods.
7. Holidays—holiday schedules to be posted by Friday at noon 2 weeks prior to the Holiday
8. EWP’s—change in hour increment availability from 2 hours to 1 hour.
9. Personnel Records—employees will be provided a copy of all disciplinary write-ups
10. Subcontracting—Original language to remain with understanding that within 60 days of
ratification, subcontracting reports and data requests will be provided to bargaining chair
and going forward quarterly reports on subcontractors will be provided
11. Alliance Committee—new language to explore the possibility of the Alliance.
12. Strategic Alliance Committee—Establishment of Committee to explore innovative methods of operation
13. Scheduling Trial—Retail Sales Group trial to explore more effective methods of scheduling.
Company will review results with Union and consider input.
14. Job Satisfaction (Monitoring)—Company to review call observations within 2 days of the
employee’s next two (2) scheduled workdays with the understanding the coverage is to be done
in a private area.
All Articles, LOA’s and Agreements not mentioned above will carry forward with the exception of LOA 12 (IPO) which has been deleted.
683.00? Per week? And you want att to pay medical? You Union haters are right that is just greedy.
Optimize vacation periods during optimal times? You mean the period when everyone is using the system and needs the most work to done?
Prioritized rehiring of laid off employees? You mean the ones who got fired because they weren't good enough?
Greedy unions at work again!
Well to be honest that $683/week is level 15 payscale. So you would need to work at AT&T in that title for 7 years if you started from level 1. Now if I went to that title of Cust service Specialist I would have to be there for 4 years then I would max out at the $683. Look at how much the top 5 people of AT&T mobility made last year $33Million... $33 Million!!! Share holders dividends increased 400%. How about the CEO's take a paycut and spread the weath in this bad economy, or take a paycut and lower the prices for the customers. Of which I am one of them also.
Lol @ Pretend Geek. Do you understand how a sales job works? The pay is commission-based in a high-stress, demanding environment. If the sales don't role in, workers don't get paid.
Not to mention, commission pay gets devoured by taxes.
Pay just got restructured which results in us making about 66% less in commissions than we did a few months ago, despite record profits and growth which we, the sales reps brought in. I don't understand the talk of Union "greed" when the real greed at work here is corporate.
Pretend Geek, to put it in perspective, I've been there 3 years, I get $582/week, after taxes & union fees, etc. my take home pay is $414
This is better than most retail service jobs, but lower than most non-retail service jobs.
If you need that kind of "security" I guess you can put up with it but it's not a fun way to live. Unions are a creepy and paranoid little world.
So you're discriminating against fat children now?
Ok, you've heard from the Union side, now hear from the management side.
Look at what the Union is being offered:
2009 1% 1%
2010 2.5% 2.5%
2011 2.5% 2.5%
2012 2.5% 2.5%
Management pay is frozen for 2009. And our raises haven't been more than 3% (most lower) for the past 3 or 4 years. Add to that that we PAY for our medical - out the wazoo. It may still be cheaper than most, but it's been going up every year in the 11 years I've been there. Also, in the last contract, the Union workers were GUARANTEED jobs. I wish we were.
Here's what to look for in the very near future: The Union contract will be ratified as will the big CWA contract that expires in Apr. IF the Union goes on strike, we, the management will work their jobs (putting in 12 hr days 6 days a week). The contract will be ratified and we'll all return to our normal jobs. Shortly thereafter, there will be more layoffs at AT&T. Care to guess which group will get hit? It WON'T be the Union. More management will be laid off to help pay for what the Union is demanding. Look back at all the earlier layoffs. What group took the biggest hit? It's always the management. And, oh, by the way, those 12 hour days? We don't get ANY overtime for that.
Personally, I hope the Union collapses and these lazy, greedy SOBs have to find a real job in the real world. And that goes for the UAW as well. Let GM go belly up.
Bitter much???? You want the the employees that bring in a majority of revenue to get the shaft, because you managers did. You position is worthless. I was at a store that was run perfectly fine for 2 months with out a manager. If you guys are not willing to fight for you conditions then I hope the company continues to give you the shaft.
If you are CWA vote no on this contract. Lets make sure the company knows we have the upper hand and lets work on getting back the 1/4 of pay we gave up in January.
Sucks to be a manager, doing paperwork and accepting the occasional escalation you can't wiggle out of must be incredibly hard. I was on a team that was without a manager for 5 months, we held our own meetings, maintained our stats, and were less stressed due to the lack of a person stressed out from higher management breathing down our necks. Your jobs get cut because you are largely unneeded, ours aren't, but you also get considerably higher pay too to make up for the increased risk.
I do truly grant that it sucks to be a manager when you get the shaft despite a $13+ billion profit.
The union haters here are unbelievable! It seems they despise organized labor because they can't get hired into a company supported by a union. Try turning off right wing radio and the vicious partisan cobras, then try to look at the situation objectively. (not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion.)
Unions came to favor when companies worked people 12 or 16 hours a day for little or no money. They took adolescents, sometimes as young as 14, sent them into sweatshops, coal mines, factories, logging or other extremely dangerous jobs. If those children survived to adulthood - an iffy possibility - they were often forced to rent ramshackle houses at exorbitant cost and buy all other overpriced necessities at a company store.
Many died or were injured in on the job accidents, but, if lucky, were given perfunctory medical care and sent back to work. Their pay was docked for every minute they spent off the job. Lose your leg and can't hobble into the woods or down in the mine? Too bad. No pay for you. The oldest child barely capable of the work was sent out in place of the father. These jobs were passed on for generations. Most men died in their mid-20s or early 30's, leaving families to the most menial labor just to survive.
Why not just quit and get another job?
There were no other jobs! Practically no public education, no transportation and a very bleak future.
Those caught mentioning the word union were given a bullwhiping that chewed the flesh from their body and were evicted to fend for themselves far from civilization.
When the depression hit, even these wretched jobs evaporated. Yet the industrial robber-barons became incredibly rich off the backs of these workers.
Nice life, ain't it?
From that pit of hell rose the unions.
Union labor built this country. The end of World war II began the greatest era of growth and prosperity in American history.
By-the-way, huge and extremely profitable companies were created and to this day survive while paying union wages and benefits.
In fact, business promised people who stayed, worked hard and contributed to the company's success, a steady job, a living wage and a fair retirement at the end of 30 years of loyalty. IT WAS A DEAL AND A GUARANTEE.
To most, this was a promise that they wouldn't spend the rest of life pushing a shopping cart and deciding between a meal of milk and butter or Friskies and water.
Despite the enormous wealth acquired in business, The CEOs, MBAs and "productivity" consultants set out to destroy unionized labor to wring more profit from lower paid workers. "Greed is good," became the order of business.
Here is the ultimate question:
Don't you owe something to the people who built the solid foundation of a country which allows you to prosper beyond all need?
The average CEO earns 400 times the wage of the workers building more and more wealth. The heads of major companies, banks, investment houses and major enterprises, spend $$ milions to decorate their offices and given contracts that guarantee $50 million, $100 million of much more, even if they are fired for the bad decisions which drive stock prices into the sewer. Then the next Einstein come in, fires workers and demands the remaining employees do the same amount of work for less money.
Quality declines, sales slow and end for the ineffective and overpriced crap and the company crashes.
So this forum attracts, a bunch of know-nothings who would jump at a chance to work in a unionized shop, to flaunt their ignorance and regurgitate corporate propaganda.
They bitch, vote against their own best interests, then brag how much they hate unions and the working conditions they helped create.
American is the land of opportunity, but it really helps if you are born into fifth generation wealth and power. The reality is that 98% of working people will never earn more than $5 million in their entire life.
It's a beautiful country isn't it?
It goes on and on