Washington, D.C. – Contracts covering nearly 100,000 AT&T workers represented by the Communications Workers of America expired at midnight, with many important issues – including employment security and health care -- not resolved. The contracts will not be extended.

For now, employees will continue to report to work, although that can change at any time. Workers are keeping their option to strike open. For workers, the terms of the contracts will remain in effect, meaning that wages, working conditions and benefits like health care will continue unchanged, with the exception of arbitration for grievances.

CWA has made it clear to AT&T that it is ready to bargain at any time to resolve the issues and negotiate quality contracts. Unfortunately, AT&T has shown little willingness to move forward and reach settlements. There has been little progress in the areas of health care, retirement security and employment security, among others.

"The CWA bargaining teams are very frustrated by AT&T's slow pace in negotiations. Instead of working toward quality settlements that will benefit workers and the company, AT&T negotiators chose to drag out negotiations without a plan for settlement," said CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill.

Several CWA districts have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, charging that AT&T has refused to provide information necessary to resolve many outstanding issues.

"AT&T is very successful and profitable, even in these bad economic times. That makes it all the more difficult to understand why AT&T is demanding that workers take on even more health care costs than they already pay. This company takes care of executives and investors. It needs to set the right priorities and maintain quality jobs and quality benefits for workers," Hill said.

CWA members at AT&T operations voted by an 88 percent yes vote to authorize a strike if a fair contract isn't reached. CWA represents about 125,000 workers covered by these contracts:

AT&T East, Connecticut, 5,000, and AT&T East Yellow Pages, 300.

AT&T Southeast, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, 37,000. (contract expires Aug. 8)

AT&T Midwest, in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, 20,000 and AT&T DataCom, 500.

AT&T Southwest, in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, 30,200.

AT&T West, in California and Nevada, 23,000.

AT&T Legacy, covering 10,000 workers nationwide.

April 3, 2009

Washington, D.C. – The executive board of the Communications Workers of America approved strike action if fair contracts cannot be reached in negotiations between CWA and five AT&T operations: AT&T East, AT&T Midwest, AT&T Southwest, AT&T West and AT&T Legacy, a nationwide unit. The action means that a strike could take place at any or all of the AT&T operations once the CWA president sets the strike dates.  

The negotiations cover 125,000 CWA represented workers covered by six contracts, including workers at AT&T Southeast; that contract expires Aug. 8. The five contracts expire Saturday night, Apr. 4

"Negotiations are continuing but we're very far apart on several important issues. It's time for management to get serious and step up the pace of bargaining if we're going to reach an agreement at contract expiration," said CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill.

CWA members had voted by 88 percent to give CWA leaders authorization to call a strike if quality contracts cannot be reached. The vote was a strong message of support for CWA's bargaining teams. AT&T takes care of executives and investors and the company needs to meet its responsibilities to workers and retirees as well, CWA negotiators point out.  

AT&T is a very successful and profitable company, even in these bad economic times. The company posted profits of $12.9 billion last year and AT&T executives have said it is on track for solid growth this year. AT&T should be a leader in helping turn the economy around and in providing good middle class jobs, not cutting jobs and benefits, said Hill.

AT&T employees are very concerned about the company's attempt to cut health care benefits by shifting even more costs to workers and to retirees on fixed incomes, and about access for workers to the "jobs of the future," the new work created by changing technology.