AT&T offers wage hikes to CWA, bargaining continues

AT&T spokesman Walt Sharp has shed some light on offers the telco is making in the ongoing negotiations with the CWA [1] over wireline employees' contracts. Sharp told the Springfield News-Leader that AT&T has offered CWA employees wage increases in every year of their contracts, but could not comment on the amount of the increases, because the two sides are still negotiating.

The company also wants to tie health care contributions to salaries, so that employees making more money pay larger dividends than those who make less. While the health care proposal, which seems to be the most contentious in the negotiations, would raise costs for CWA members, AT&T maintains that the amount the employees would pay under the new plan is far less than the national average and less than AT&T managerial employees pay. AT&T also reports that its offer includes increases in pension contributions.

As of Thursday, all CWA districts currently negotiating with AT&T remain at the bargaining table, according the bargaining reports posted on their respective websites. 

For more:
- see The Springfield News-Leader story here [2] 

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