Reps attend annual meeting for execs and shareholders
As some 17,500 unionized employees continue into the second week of work under an expired contract, union reps pressed AT&T higher-ups to finalize bargaining during the carrier’s annual meeting last week in Spokane, Wash.
The workers in questions are employed by AT&T Midwest and Legacy T; their three-year contracts expired on April 14. The Communications Workers of America union, which includes the AT&T employees, on April 23 posted a bargaining update to its website.
“As CWA workers at AT&T Midwest and Legacy T continue to work without contracts, mobilization is in full swing to support the bargaining committees,” CWA stated, adding that a group of union reps “will attend the AT&T annual meeting … to make it clear to executives and shareholders: CWA members are fighting for a fair contract.”
“The bargaining committees are reporting some progress and negotiations are continuing,” CWA added.
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The CWA has highlighted employment security and opportunity, fair wage increases, retirement and health security as the operative bargaining issues.
“The ongoing negotiations reflect the cooperative spirit of the longstanding relationship between the company and the union,” said AT&T spokesman Marty Richter. “Employees will work under the terms of the expired contract while negotiations continue.”
At the onset of bargaining, labor reps “voted overwhelmingly to authorize union leaders to call a strike if a fair contract can’t be reached,” according to the CWA.
AT&T has said there are plans in place in the event of a strike.
