Workers Call on AT&T to Stop Offshoring and Outsourcing, and to Bargain Fair Contracts

As bargaining at AT&T Mobility in District 3, AT&T Midwest, and Legacy AT&T gets underway in early 2018, AT&T workers held informational picketing at numerous locations across the country to show AT&T that workers are united in a common goal of protecting jobs and negotiating fair contracts.

These nationwide actions shine a spotlight on AT&T's continued offshoring and outsourcing of union jobs and the threat it poses to workers and communities. Workers called out AT&T for laying off scores of workers even as outsourcing continues.

In 2016, AT&T brought in $163 billion in revenue and made $13 billion in profit. This success was built on the hard work of CWA members at AT&T. But instead of sharing that success, AT&T management has used those profits to pay themselves and funneled billions to investors. AT&T has paid out $31 billion in dividends and $2.4 billion in share buybacks since 2014. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson was paid $28.4 million in 2016 and raked in $100 million over the past four years.

AT&T investors and management are now going to benefit even more from the Republican corporate tax cuts. AT&T has said they will pay workers a $1,000 bonus, a far cry from the $4,000 promised by President Trump.

On top of all this, AT&T announced layoffs of techs and customer service reps, while continuing to outsource work to low-wage vendors both in the U.S. and offshore. CWA is taking this on, filing lawsuits and grievances, and making sure those who are laid off get every penny of pay, severance, and other benefits to which they are entitled.

Members participating in the actions are telling AT&T that now that the company's gotten the corporate tax break it wanted, AT&T must follow through on promises made to invest in good union jobs here in the United States. AT&T is massively profitable thanks to the hard work of CWA members, and members will be fighting for a fair contract that recognizes our hard work.

Clockwise from top left: Local 1298, Hamden, CT; Local 4320, Boardman, OR; Local 9400, Cerritos, CA; Locals 9509 and 9511, San Diego, CA; Local 9510, Newport Beach, CA; Local 6150, Dallas, TX.