AT&T Legacy T Bargaining Report #37

There is nothing new to report. Since the last health care proposal was from the Company, it is now up to our Union to pass a response. The Company’s last proposal did move a slight bit. It lowered the premiums a little bit, but it still contained an increase from the 18% cost share we pay now to a 25% cost share this year, rising to 28% in 2014 and 29% in 2014. So you ask, how do they lower the premiums if they are raising cost share? They do it by raising deductibles from $350 for an individual to $1600 and from $700 for a family to $3200. That means for anything but preventive care, you have to pay the full deductible before the plan pays a penny! They save money because that will keep you from going to the doctor at all. They are also pushing for a MUCH worse plan for new hires.

This is unacceptable for our members. Our team is working on a response, in coordination with the other bargaining tables.

In addition, we are still far apart on many other issues: employment security (including subcontracting, JOG, Successorship), pensions, absence, and many local issues that just affect our table.

Tomorrow we will be meeting in a subcommittee on subcontracting, but there will not be a bargaining report again until we meet at the full table, unless something happens that we need to report to you immediately.

This does NOT mean that you can slack off on mobilization efforts. We need to keep pressure on the Company to move on their outrageous proposals. Without that pressure, they will keep dragging this out. People are asking why, if they are dragging their feet, we are not on strike. When we are so far from a settlement, a strike means our members are without pay and hurting every day. Despite what the Company may have to pay their scabs and managers, they are saving on the payroll of 40,000 workers. It’s not like they will stop billing their customers just because we are on strike. The strike is a powerful weapon that we can use when the time is in our favor, but for now we need to find other ways of hurting this company and forcing them to bargain fairly with us.

Your Bargaining Team