AT&T, Communications Workers of America Reach New Tentative Agreement in Southeast Contract Negotiations
DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AT&T Inc.* (NYSE:T) today announced that it has reached a new tentative agreement with the Communications Workers of America in core wireline contract negotiations in CWA District 3 (AT&T’s Southeast Region), covering approximately 30,000 employees in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The two sides returned to the bargaining table and reached the new agreement after District 3 members voted down a prior agreement that had been reached in December. The three-year agreement will be submitted to the district’s membership for a ratification vote in coming days.
Like the prior agreement, it includes pay and pension band increases in each year of the agreement. Health care benefits remain among the best in the nation; the health care plan provides for fully funded preventive care. Changes in the new agreement include things like significantly lower health care premiums the second year of the agreement (there still would be no premiums the first year) rather than a health reimbursement account (HRA), and payouts in a reward program keyed to the company’s financial performance paid in cash rather than being paid into the HRA.
Much more detail on the agreement will be available at www.att.com/corebargaining.
Six of the seven bargaining units representing AT&T’s core wireline employees now have either ratified or tentative agreements; those agreements cover nearly 97 percent of the approximately 120,000 employees covered under the company’s core wireline contracts.
CWA District 1 – AT&T’s East Region, covering employees in Connecticut – is the only region that is yet to reach a contract. Employees there continue to work under the terms of the expired contract while negotiations continue.
The contract in the Southeast Region expired Aug. 8, 2009, and employees have continued to work under the terms of the expired contract. Core wireline contracts with the other CWA bargaining units expired April 4, 2009; the IBEW contract expired June 27, 2009.
Agreements between AT&T and the CWA have been ratified in the Midwest, Southwest, and West regions, as well as with Legacy AT&T Corp., which covers employees across the country. An agreement between AT&T and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has also been ratified.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world’s most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation’s fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation’s leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.
© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss.
Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.
No Comments