AT&T Legacy T Bargaining Report #7

The full bargaining committee met today. The Union passed proposals on increasing the number of training hours employees receive, since so many of our training hours are now taken up by AT&T required courses that often do nothing to increase our job skills (like safety classes on equipment we never use). We proposed improved language for workers covered under Article 45 whose General Wage increases are dependent on their performance appraisals. We also submitted a proposal to improve the treatment of employees who cannot get to work because of a declared “State of Emergency” (like those caused by storms, tornadoes, etc.)

Then the Company began its proposals, and they went from bad to worse. While our demand was to improve the training of our members, the Company proposed a large cut in Alliance funding, which has been a hugely successful joint education program that has benefited thousands of members. Then they proceeded to propose a new Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) that severely limits, not only the amount of money our members could use, but the choices of programs they can take. It is also a reimbursement plan, instead of being pre-paid, so someone would have to lay out their own money up-front. These proposals are from a company whose CEO has said, in funding $100 million to a program (ASPIRE) to improve high school education:

" Investing in a well-educated workforce may be the single most important thing we can do to help America remain the leader in a digital, global economy." -- Randall Stephenson

We are not denying that ASPIRE is a worthwhile program, but it is just wrong and hypocritical to deny opportunities to their own workforce when we try to improve our skills.

Next they went after vacations. Our understanding was always that you earned your vacation in the prior year; so, for example, if you were eligible for 4 weeks in 2011, you could take them at any time, and if you were laid off or retired, the Company owed you money in lieu of that time. Their new proposal changed the days into hours; so, for example, if a person with 4 weeks (160 hours) got laid off in February and had not used their vacation time, the person would only get paid for 27 hours of vacation time. If you were laid off or retired in June, you would only get paid for 80 hours. The number of hours credited increases each month.

Then it got even worse – they proposed removing our employment security letter which, among other things, does not allow the Legacy T employment level to drop to less than 4200 employees and limits involuntary layoffs. They want to eliminate JOG, which has saved many of our members from unemployment. They came after the “variable workforce” language in Article 43 (taking out language that keeps them from using contractors for ongoing full time work extending over 6 months) and the “watermark” which protects jobs in that Article.

Basically they want to take away every Job Security protection we have bargained in the last two contracts.

We say we are Fighting for the American Dream. The Company proposals are just the opposite. They are going after education, days off, job security, and basic benefits.

Be angry. There is a chant we use on our picket lines, “They say cut back; we say fight back.” That’s just what we need to do. Fight back. Mobilize.