A Letter from the Bargaining Committee

Today the local received the following letter from Richard Kneupper, who headed the Union Bargaining Committee in the recent contract negotiations with AT&T Mobility. The letter reads as follows:

Subject: Mobility Agreement – Dispute over Upgrades at the Top

This is to advise that the CWA Bargaining Committee and the Mobility Bargaining Committee have had a discussion about a dispute over what was negotiated for upgraded Call Center employees at the top of the wage schedule. The dispute centers around those employees at the top of the schedule who would receive a $38.50 upgrade plus receive the negotiatied wage increase. This was based on a document that was presented to the Union by the Company just prior to an agreement being reached. The document stated the following:

Upgrades: (Effective 2/24/2008, depending on ratification)

• Overall, 54% of employees covered by the contract are upgraded
• 92% of Customer Representatives, more than 5,000 employees are upgraded.
• Upgrade Customer Service Representative 1 – All Other by $38.50 per week at top pay
• Upgrade Business Customer Service Spet by $38.50 per week at top pay

The CWA Bargaining committee understood this to mean that people at the top of the wage schedule would receive the $38.50 treatment. Howerver, the Mobility Committee says their intent was that the wage schedule itself was being upgraded by $38.50 as that was the difference between the Dallas wage schedules and the All Other wage schedule. A specific example of how people would be treated at the top was not presented by the Company. The Company refuses to make this adjustment and the parties have agreed to submit the dispute to a neutral, third party and arbitrate the issue.

Currently, what this will mean is that employees at the top of the wage schedule will be slotted into the new wage schedule just as other upgraded employees who were in progression, but at a higher step. They will receive the same incremental wage increase based on where they fall on the wage schedule.

The CWA Bargaining Committee certainly understands the disruption this will create for our members and agonizes over the issue. However, after considering all of our options, we believe arbitrating the issue is our best course of action.

Richard Kneupper