AT&T at the end of last week came to a tentative contract agreement with some 17,000 wireline workers in the western part of the country even as its negotiations with some 21,000 mobility workers drag on.
According to a statement from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the new four-year wireline contract includes pay raises, better job security and retirement benefits, and a continuation of affordable healthcare for employees. The proposed contract would cover AT&T West and DirecTV West workers in California and Nevada, and would be a first for DirecTV workers.
The union said the contract details will be explained to workers in meetings this week, and a ratification vote is being scheduled.
AT&T said the contract marks the 30th labor agreement it’s made with unions since 2015. Those deals cover around 145,000 employees, the carrier said.
However, CWA reported a recent strike has yet to yield a similar victory for some 21,000 mobility workers spread across 36 states. The strike resulted in the shutdown of numerous AT&T retail locations the weekend of May 19-21.
“The Company has not offered any new proposals since the strike,” CWA wrote in a release. “While we are happy to receive some of the data we requested, the company continues to insist on concessions and offers nothing to get us closer to an agreement. The union has our demands on the table and we will not back down.”
As negotiations drag on, CWA said it has filed National Labor Relations Board charges against AT&T related to the carrier’s alleged refusal to provide information relevant to bargaining and refusal to bargain regarding the commission plan. The union also said its complaints cover alleged threats made by management to strikers over attendance, the carrier’s alleged surveying of workers on the terms and conditions of bargaining, and a “unilateral change of terms and conditions of bargaining (scheduling in ATS centers).”
CWA indicated it is also looking into claims that some part-time workers have had their schedules changed, were solicited to resign from the union, and were subject to threats and retaliation following the recent strike. The union sought to reassure workers despite the fraught nature of the situation.
“We know that this can be a long and frustrating process, but we are committed to fighting as long as it takes to get a fair contract,” the union wrote.
