Strikes on the Horizon for AT&T Workers
August 9, 2009 by Mark Ellis
Filed under Business
The Communication Workers of America, a labor union to which more than 32,000 disgruntled AT&T workers belong, has organized a strike to protest AT&T’s proposed changes to their contracts. Negotiations began on July 20 between AT&T representatives and CWA, but several key members of the CWA have stated that if the two parties do not reach an agreement soon, widespread striking will occur.
Among the strikers’ most pressing concerns are outsourcing, which has claimed a total of 22,000 jobs by giving them to foreigners, salaries, healthcare, and retirement benefits, all of which may be affected when AT&T drafts the new contract. Many AT&T employees are also concerned about AT&T’s proposal to compensate workers primarily through commission rather than wages.
AT&T has stated that their current offers would maintain wages and benefits, but the CWA wants everything to stay the same, as well as to increase their out-of-pocket healthcare coverage and to address the outsourcing issue. According to AT&T, striking may not be as effective as CWA hopes, though, as the company has said that it has been prepared for strikes for over two years.
Image: Flickr
