|
|
November 20, 2008
AT&T Bargaining Council Meetings Set Stage for '09 Talks
Determined to bring the same energy to bargaining with AT&T that their members brought to the 2008 political campaigns, local CWA leaders from across the country met this week in Dallas to prepare for talks with the telecom giant beginning in early 2009. Although negotiations for AT&T Core will take place at six tables, in addition to bargaining for AT&T Mobility's "Orange" contract, the theme of the bargaining council meetings was one of solidarity: "One Union, One Fight, One Future." "If we go in with a sense of unity, we couldn't be stronger," CWA President Larry Cohen told the 300 participants as he opened the conference Monday night. "This union is sending a signal that we're fighting back. We're mad but we're hopeful and we're on the march. And we'll be on the march until every worker has a decent contract." Contracting out of work, changes in job titles and job descriptions and other job security issues surrounding AT&T's consolidation of various former Bell companies were major concerns for participants, along with the enormous economic challenges facing the country and the never-ending attempts to rollback health care benefits for workers and retirees. Not all issues affect each geographic region the same way, and CWA national leaders said they understand that locals and districts have developed their own ways of doing business with the company over the years. "We're family, and like family, we may have some disagreements," CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill said. "But we need to leave with a sense of purpose about what we want to accomplish and recognize that we're all in this together." Ensuring that CWA's contracts keep pace with the rapid changes in technology and wireless expansion is a key bargaining issue, and conference speakers and local officers in attendance said that it's vital that the union be vigilant. Telecom expert Andrew Saybold discussed technological changes on the horizon, noting that there will always be jobs – even if they are fewer in number – for landline workers. "Spectrum is a finite resource," he said. "There's not enough wireless spectrum in the world to replace wired." He went on to discuss what the future holds and what AT&T is and isn't doing to compete. Notably, he said the company leaders "don't get it" with regard to fiber to the home. "If they don't wake up and start doing fiber seriously, they're going to be in trouble," he said. "Whatever you do, you've got to figure out how to get AT&T into the fiber business, and quickly." For CWA, bargaining with AT&T coincides with its two biggest legislative campaigns – passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and health care reform. But working toward passing the vital bills won't stop CWA from fighting just as hard as ever for workers' rights and health care issues during negotiations, national leaders said. "We have to do two things at once, we have to be able to walk and chew gum," Hill said. "The Verizon folks had to do it and the Qwest folks had to do it because we were in bargaining while we were also focused on getting the right people elected." The AT&T Mobility bargaining will begin first, on Jan. 21, 2009, in Richmond, Va., The current Mobility "Orange" contract expires Feb. 7. The Core talks will take place at six tables around the country beginning Feb. 24 to negotiate with AT&T Legacy, and with five regional contracts: AT&T East (formerly SNET), AT&T West (formerly PacBell), AT&T Midwest (formerly Ameritech) AT&T South (formerly Southwestern Bell) and AT&T Southeast (formerly BellSouth). All contracts expire April 4, except for AT&T Southeast, which expires in August -- but bargaining there will be held in unison with the other companies. Employee Free Choice Depends on Mobilization Not Seen Since the 1930sEven with the election of the most pro-worker president and Congress in decades, passage of the Employee Free Choice Act faces strong obstacles and will not become law unless labor mobilizes as it hasn’t in years, CWA leaders stated. CWA is redoubling its campaign on behalf of the critical legislation so it will have the support necessary to clear Congress in the face of what will be a tsunami of opposition from big business and anti-labor forces. “Now, we all must stand up and continue the fight for this critical legislation as if our contracts, pensions, and health care depend on it,” said CWA President Larry Cohen in a message to locals. “The opposition is ready, with millions more dollars to spend. We must meet their dollars with the kind of massive worker mobilization we have not seen in the United States since the 1930s and 1940s.” A massive mobilization is necessary to secure votes from at least 60 Senators when the bill is reintroduced in Congress early next year. Last year, supporters fell short of the necessary votes to prevent the legislation from being filibustered, and blocked from a final floor vote. The November elections resulted in the election of seven new pro-worker senators likely to endorse Employee Free Choice, but more support will be necessary to secure passage. Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act will be critical to enabling the nation to quickly emerge from the severe economic crisis, and CWA identified the legislation as the centerpiece of its Economic Recovery Plan for American Families. The other ingredients are the creation of 21st century jobs and infrastructure and health care for all. CWA will be mounting a large-scale national campaign, marshalling full-time CWA activists in key states and aggressive worker tactics across the country. To help offset the millions of dollars that are now pouring in to defeat employee free choice, CWA will be coordinating its efforts with its Alliance partners, the AFL-CIO, Change to Win unions, and American Rights at Work, which launched a new ad to generate support for the legislation. Click here to view ad. Outreach to allied groups will be critical too. This week, one of the nation’s largest African-American religious groups, the 3 million member National Baptist Convention of America, signed on to support the Employee Free Choice campaign. As of this week, 110,386 CWAers have signed on as supporters
of the Million Member Mobilization for the Employee Free Choice
Act, but CWA is urging union activists to continue the campaign
to win more support among co-workers, friends, and family
members. Sign up online at www.freechoicecwa.com. CWA Joins Alliance to Promote Full High Speed Internet AccessCWA has joined the Alliance for Digital Equality and will work with other members of the coalition to expand access to true high speed Internet networks for underserved consumers in urban communities across the nation. CWA joins AT&T, Black Entertainment Television, Coca Cola, Northrop Grumman and other organizations committed to bridging the digital divide that now blocks millions of Americans from the full potential of high-speed broadband. As part of the Speed Matters campaign, CWA has been spotlighting the lack of real high speed Internet access for residents of rural and small communities, where applications such as tele-medicine and job creation are critically needed. Joining forces with ADE is an important complement to CWA's efforts to bring real high speed Internet access to all. ADE, with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, has brought together elected officials, consumers and the business community in five cities so far – Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, Houston and Charleston, S.C. -- establishing Digital Empowerment Councils that focus on ways to close the digital gap in urban areas. ADE plans to launch councils in another 17 cities in 2009. Stakes are High in Martin-Chambliss Senate RaceIn Georgia, CWAers and the entire union movement are turning out to show their support for Jim Martin, the candidate for the U.S. Senate who supports working families. A special runoff election is set for Dec. 2, between Martin and Saxby Chambliss, the Republican incumbent. There are now 58 Democrats, including two pro-worker independents, in the U.S. Senate, with two elections yet to be determined: Georgia and Minnesota. If both states elect the Democratic candidates, it will be very difficult for Senate Republicans to block important legislative matters by mounting a filibuster. CWA activists and volunteers are focusing their efforts among members in Atlanta, Macon, Columbus, Augusta, Savannah, and Albany. Members of CWA Locals 3201, 3204, 3212 3215, 3217 and 3220 have been leafleting work sites, providing union members with information about the issues and early voting in every county set for Nov. 24-26. Locals and RMC activists also are organizing phone banks and reaching out to active and retired members, and because turnout is critical, a major get-out-the-vote push is underway from now until the Dec. 2 special election. Martin is a Vietnam veteran who endorses Employee Free Choice and critical veterans programs. Chambliss received five military deferments and didn't serve, yet in 2002 he ran a shameful campaign against another Vietnam veteran, Max Cleland, a highly decorated veteran who lost three limbs in combat. IN BRIEF:
|
||||
