AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #22

March 2, 2017

Your CWA Bargaining Committee has continued to negotiate Tuesday through Wednesday, March 1, 2017. There has been much progress made but there are still bargaining issues that have to be resolved. Today, our Members are wearing red and engaging in Mobilization activities everywhere in District 6. Keep up the pressure, the Committee stands shoulder to shoulder with all of you to achieve a good contract.

AT&T SW BARGAINIG REPORT #21

February 28, 2017

Your CWA Bargaining Committee continued negotiations late into the night on Sunday, through Monday, February 27, 2017. The Union Committee continues to bargain today, attempting to reach an agreement with the Company. There has been much progress in these negotiations but we still have a ways to go. We will update the site as information becomes available.

A special thank you to CWA Local 6009 President Jerry Butler, for his correspondence to the Bargaining Committee. President Butler said his CWA Members are ready to do whatever is necessary in this fight. CWA Local 4900, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, sent a large package to the Union Committee, which we appreciate. CWA Local 4900 President Tim Strong included a letter in the package. President Strong wrote that CWA Local 4900 stands united with your CWA Bargaining Committee and the CWA Members of District 6 in our fight in achieving a fair contract. Thank you, CWA Local 6009 and CWA Local 4900 for your support. The Union Committee gains strength from our CWA Members standing tall.
Mobilize – More Now – Than Ever

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #20

February 26, 2017

Your CWA Bargaining Committee negotiated throughout the weekend with the Company. Late Sunday afternoon the Company presented a “Last, Best and Final Offer” to the Union. The Company proposal is described as an integrated package and must be accepted by the Union Committee by midnight on Monday, February 27, 2017, or it shall be withdrawn. The CWA Committee is studying the proposal, but has already determined that it is lacking, and has a number of retrogressive components. It does not meet the criteria of why both sides agreed to enter into early bargaining. The Union Committee is determined to continue bargaining in these early negotiations and will not accept a sub-standard agreement.

Monday, Tell Your Supervisors That You Will Not Accept an Inferior Contract

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #19

February 25, 2017

Your CWA Bargaining Committee met with the Company on Friday, February 24, 2017. There was progress made at the negotiating table, but both sides are far apart on many issues. Some of the bargaining demands that were discussed are:

Employee Contributions for the Medical and Dental
Short Term Disability Plan – Company Proposal to migrate to a 26 week plan
A Wage Increase to Base Wages
Paid Illness Days
Paid Benefit Representative Position
The Benefit Committee
The Technology Change Committee
Article II – Classification of Employees – Temporary Employees
Article V – Cost of Living Allowance
Article IV – Basis of Compensation, Section 6 – Changes to the Night Differential language for Cable Splicing Technicians
Article VI – Hours of Work – Assigned Overtime
Appendix J Employees – The Home Dispatch Program
Protection for Core I/M Customer Services Technicians who are declared surplus, and who either accepts or displaces into a Premises Technician position
Leveraged Services Representatives – Service Levels
The ad hoc Committee on Two Hour Notification
Memorandum of Agreement – Employment Security Commitment (JOG)
The Service Representative Review Committee

Friday night, the Union Committee joined CWA Local 6132 on an informational picket line in front of the facility where negotiations are taking place. Local 6132 did a great job of getting their Members to this Mobilization event. Members from other Labor Unions, as well as the CWA Staff from the Austin office, joined us on the picket line. Great job Local 6132. Your CWA Committee wants to thank Local 6407 for the card signed by their Members, and the picture they sent of their Members engaged in a Mobilization event. The Union Committee and the Company will continue meeting throughout the weekend. We will update these reports as events necessitate.

Keep up the Great Work – Mobilizing

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #18

February 24, 2017

The CWA Bargaining Committee met with the Company on Thursday, February 23, 2017. The Company presented a complete package proposal to the Union. There was some movement on the Company’s part, but at this juncture in negotiations the proposal was severely deficient in many areas in meeting our Member’s proposals. The Company still has many proposals on the table that are retrogressive when compared to the current 2013 Labor Agreement. Listed below are proposals that were renewed by the Company on Thursday.

Renew the Incentive Plan Attachment in the Negotiating Report
Renew the Ad Hoc Committee on Two Hour Notification
To continue the forum between the Union and the Company for Premise Technicians
Renew the Memorandum of Agreement to Transition Newly-Represented DIRECTV LLC Employees, effective April 9, 2017 through April 10, 2021
Renew the Memorandum of Agreement – Modified Procedures for Expedited Arbitration
Renew the Recommendations of the Communications Consultant Joint Leadership Forum
Renew the Memorandum of Agreement – Recovery of Wage or Benefits Overpayment

The Union and the Company are still far apart on a number of items, including some of these listed below.

A significant wage increase for the years, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020
Article XI – Illness from Duty
The Disability Plan – The Company is proposing that employees transition to a 26 week plan from the current 52 week plan
Premise Technician – Work Rules
The Memorandum Of Agreement – Job Offer Guarantee
Joint Agreements of the Service Representative Review Committee
The prohibition against Decision Making Leaves (DMLs) and dismissals of Service Representatives solely for adherence performance
The Memorandum of Agreement – Regarding Neutrality And Card Check Recognition
The Memorandum of Agreement – Monitoring
The elimination of Article IV, Section 6, paragraph b. pay treatment for Cable Splicing Technicians

The above list of Company retrogressive proposals still on the negotiating table is provided to give a flavor of the present climate at the negotiating table. It is nowhere near inclusive of the Company’s proposed givebacks. Your CWA Committee put the Company Committee on notice today in the negotiating session. The Company Chair was told that Early Bargaining will come to a close at the end of February, and the Company’s proposals are inadequate to receive an agreement. The Union Committee told the Company to get serious, we are not going anywhere until we reach an agreement that is fair and just for our Members.

Thank you, CWA Local 6301. We appreciate the card and support of all your Members who signed it. Great Job!

*****Alert – Tell Your Managers That You Are Demanding a Fair Contract*****

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #17

February 23, 2017

Your CWA Bargaining Committee met with the Company on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. The Company did not present a bargaining proposal to the Union. Both Committees questioned the other on the following items:

New Testing to qualify for the Job Offer Guarantee
A New Dental and Vision Plan
Combine the two Savings Plan into one
Illness Policy – including a 26 week disability program for all employees
The Day after Thanksgiving paid at straight time
A New Tuition Plan
A New Medical Plan
The Memorandum of Agreement on Internal Appeals
Grievances
Garnishment of Wages
Former DIRECTV Employees
Jobs of the Future for Technicians

The CWA Bargaining Committee will meet with the Company on Thursday, February 23, 2017 to continue negotiations.

WE APRRECIATE ALL THOSE WEARING RED TODAY! KEEP THE PRESSURE UP!

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #16

February 22, 2017

The CWA Bargaining Committee spent Tuesday, February 22, 2017, studying data that has been provided by the Company. The Committee continued to question the Company on their proposals and to request further data. The Union Bargaining Committee will be meeting with the Company Committee on Wednesday afternoon.

Your CWA Bargaining Committee wants to thank the CWA Locals and CWA Members that are continuing to Mobilize in support of a good contract. We feel your Unity. A special thank you to CWA Local 6016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Your package was greatly appreciated and your card of support, heartfelt. We will update this site as information becomes available.

Tell Your Supervisor Every Day That You Deserve A Fair Contract

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #15

February 21, 2017

Your CWA Bargaining Committee met with the Company on Monday, February 20, 2017, to present bargaining demands. The Union Committee presented the following demands:

A significant wage increase
The return of contracted work back to the Bargaining Unit
Improvements to the National Transfer Plan
Improvement of the Savings and Security Plan
To extend Medicare Part B Reimbursement
Improvements to the Pension Plans
Improvements to the Retiree’s Pension and other Retirement Benefits
To Extend the two Union Benefit Representative Positions
Modifications to the Employment Security Commitment
Appendix J Premises Technicians shall be placed into Appendix C Wage Schedules
Premises Technicians – Hours worked on a Holiday shall count towards hours worked
The inclusion of Premises Technicians into the GPS Monitoring Agreement
The improvement of the Layoff Allowance for Premises Technicians

The Union Bargaining Committee rejected the Company’s proposal on Article XIX-Grievances. Your CWA Committee also presented five new data requests to the Company. We will send out another Bargaining Report as events change.

Stay Strong – Stick Together

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #14

February 20, 2017

Your CWA Bargaining Committee met with the Company on February 17, 2017, and then continued meeting over the weekend. The Union questioned the Company on their package proposal of February 16, 2017, to fully understand what the Company had presented. In addition, the CWA Committee had long discussions with the Company regarding:

The contracting out of work that could be performed by bargaining unit employees.

New Technologies utilized for the deployment of satellite communication

Premises Technicians receiving a pay upgrade

The Employment Security Commitment

At this juncture in negotiations, the CWA Committee needs to clarify a matter regarding the Bargaining Reports we are sending out. Early on, we sent out Bargaining Reports that listed everything that either your Bargaining Committee presented, or the Company’s Retrogressive first package proposal to the Union contained. Since those first Bargaining Reports, the Union Committee has not, and will not, continue to send out each and every item that either the CWA Committee or the Company Committee presents at the negotiating table. The reasons for this are two-fold:

Your CWA Bargaining Committee has no intent to negotiate with the Company in the public domain. Successful negotiations cannot occur with hundreds of people involved on an ongoing basis.

Negotiations constantly change, both with the dialogue spoken at the bargaining table and with proposals and counter proposals. It is impossible to ensure the complete ongoing snapshot of these types of reports, without mass confusion ensuing for those reading the summaries of ongoing negotiations.

We have written paragraphs 1 and 2 above in response to many of the Social Media postings that members of the CWA Bargaining Committee have observed. It is obvious that employees are reading the Bargaining Reports. That is a very good thing. However, to read a report and not see a bargaining item that we did not include in the summary and to reach a wrong conclusion is counterproductive and a waste of emotion. Because an item is not listed, does not mean both Committees are not negotiating on a later date on the matter, or that it has not been included with another demand. Do not read and jump to conclusions or form opinions of what is actually taking place at the Negotiating Table. Events are changing during negotiations every day, sometimes multiple times in a day. The finished product of a tentative contract will look much different than the ongoing dialogue of everyday negotiations. The Committee does appreciate the energy and commitment to mobilize that is taking place at your worksites. Keep it up.

Your Committee worked late into both Saturday and Sunday night in preparation of a Union Proposal package to present to the Company. The Committee would like to recognize Local 6222 for forwarding dozens of cards, with hundreds of signatures of Members, to us. The cards thanked the CWA Bargaining Committee for their hard work and more importantly the hand written messages stated that Local 6222 was standing tall with Members from every CWA Local in District 6 in support of a good contract. Thank you, Brothers and Sisters.

We Feel Your Support – Continue The Mobilization Activities

AT&T SW BARGAINING REPORT #13

February 17, 2017

The CWA Bargaining Committee met with the Company on February 16, 2017. The Company presented a complete package proposal to the Union. The Union Committee worked late into the evening analyzing the Company’s package of proposals. There was a little movement in reaching an agreement but the Company’s proposal is nowhere close to addressing many of the Union’s demands. There are still dozens of retroactive proposals that the Company has presented to your Union Bargaining Committee. Listed below are some of the Company’s proposals but the following lists are in no way inclusive.

Positive Proposals Presented by the Company:

Add Wage Progression Schedules for the titles of Office Coordinator, Administrative Assistant and Warehouse Assistant
Renew the Success Sharing Plan
Replace two Floating Holidays with three Floating Holidays
Renew the MOA – Four Day Workweek
Renew the MOA – Recommendations of the Revenue Management Representative Working Group
Renew the MOA – Service Leader
Renew the Motor Vehicle Usage Program
Renew the MOA – Uniformed Services Leave of Absence
Renew the MOA – On Employees Entering Active Military Duty

Retrogressive Proposals Presented by the Company:

Employee Contributions for the Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Care Plus, and Life Insurance shall be at the following percentages:

An inadequate wage increase to base wages for the years, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020
A day in waiting for all Employees before a paid illness day
Employees hired after April 8, 2017 shall not be any paid illness days
Double time paid after working 16 hours in a day
Delete Article V – Cost of Living Allowance
Amend the MOA on the Employment Security Commitment (JOG)
The Company shall have sole discretion to assign Appendix J employees to participate in the AT&T Home Dispatch Program
Premise Technicians – Eliminate the seventeen hour limit for overtime
Premise Technicians – Delete the thirty-two hours of work guarantee
Premise Technicians – Delete Carry-over Vacation
Delete the Day after Thanksgiving for all employees

As stated in the report earlier, the lists are not all inclusive but they characterize how far apart the two sides are. Your CWA Committee appreciates the Mobilization that the Locals and the Members are performing. Keep up the pressure on the Company.