CWA, AT&T 'Far from agreement' on contract negotiations

Cwa is a big joke. not even a funny joke. I,m retired from ameritech and every year they take more away from us retired employees. If you working people don't wise up, your going to be in the same boat.When do you think you'll need insurance more ???????

IN RESPONSE TO YOUR WEAK ARGUMENT: "If you dont like it leave":
On the other hand If AT&T cant or wont pay "prem Techs" a decent wage then get the hell out of the business and let some one else do it right. Verizon seems to pay thier people. Is AT&T the same caliber as Verizon? NO! they have a reputation to keep. they can lose it fast by treating folks like immigrant wage workers.

BY THE WAY, for all you guys that are complaining about the union......You are obviously not involving yourselves with the functions of the union. Do you even attend meetings?
Before negotioations commence, a bargaining task force meeting takes place. This is to discuss issues that have caused problems in the past, and prioritize your suggestions.It also decides and directs the bargaining team what issues are strike issues.... all members should recieve bargaining suggestion forms prior to negotiations. VERY few are ever returned to the union. That was your voice. Then the suggestions are covered at a meeting, and then each local membership should speak out, then appoint who should attend the BTF meeting to represent their interests. Here was your voice as well. Then at the meeting all these things are done, given what the membership has provided. Shame on you for not involving yourself and doing nothing.
I would suspect that the bargaining team for district 4 would not strike, if they met the issues that the MEMBERSHIP ultimatly decided were strike issues. All issues are prioritized 2 or 3 times before the final product is reached.
So please consider this before you blame anyone. However, I do agree that Dist 4 should have held on this all contracts were in the same place. Att has been playing the game very well, and has been putting this together for years. I believe that the most important issues are not really healthcare at this point, but protecting future work, so that we can come back to the table in better times. Times are definitly tough for your union. Please stand united to get through these difficult times so that we can move on and do a better job next time. (no, im not a cwa leader). Without the union, you would be one of those posting here that are putting you down about how good you have it, and how bad they have it. You have these things because you have a union voice. Without that, you would be without. Just like them. If more workers had the oppurtunity for a union, they would think differently, and better conditions would prevail; ultimatly having a better economy. Some people just can't understand because they haven't been here. Stand united. Don't let the negatives in this forum take away your determination for a better life for yourselves. You will usually only hear from the very few that always feel negative, and don't really understand how democracy works.

Stay strong, stay united. Weve got a lonnng, HARD road ahead, and att is definitly attempting to break us, DON'T LET EM, as well as those here on the outside who believe they have the answers. The union isn't perfect but its better off here. Don't wait for someone else to make a difference--YOU ARE THAT SOMEONE ELSE!!

P.S You can do it, and i am not a dummy !

I'm 55 so figure I'll have my landline for another 20 yrs or so at least. Can't always depend on it but it is usually better than trying to talk into some damn little dinky thing. Especially for my 60 yr old husband and his big fumbling fingers and those small buttons. Landlines really aren't obsolete. Maybe flondering but not gone. Profit in them....I would think not. Most of my communication is not on any phone (too many yrs at AT&T teethered to the damn phone at call center) but I rely on email for 95% and the other 5% divided cell/landline. I keep the landline to make it easier for my husband and to continue to get my bundled savings from Cox. Believe it not I have a grandfathered savings that saves me $39 mo so I really get phone free plus some of other services. I've had that for many yrs.....yes even though I worked and retired from AT&T and could have gotten reimbursements for some ph and other avail services. Too many problems with AT&T service and so I have always had internet, phone, tv with Cox. Much better. I digressed from what the subject was but...

To Posted by Anonymous | May 19, 2009 - 1:44pm
"LOL wirless phones do send alot of signal through trunks from cell to switch to cell...but Microwave hops are quite common and if the landline side expects to survive on wireless business alone there will be a big problem on the horizon."

I don't know what part of the country you are from but here in Oklahoma Microwave hops are not the death dealing blow to landlines. The Landline Portion of at&t doesn't expect to survive on wireless business alone. I would go into detail about what landline actually supports but there are already several posts that do an excellent job.

"T1's and DS3 do not require the current manpower.

How exactly did you come to this conclusion? What data did you examine to come to this conclusion?

"Broadband is only momnets away from being wireless. I have watched it develop from wireless CDPD to 3G in a matter of 10 years and its moving faster and faster towards wireless."

I am not an engineer in the R&D department anywhere so I have no way of knowing when wireless will exceed landline capabilities. But I do know this: If we took your logic and extrapolated it out we would never have used the DSL technology in at&t. I mean think...DSL was already obsolete when it was developed...think fiber.

We won't even roll out DSL to the communities that we already promised it to since at&t doesn't want to spend money on all of the nonmetro areas. Some of these areas are already fiber fed and ready.

What makes you or anyone think they are going to remove all landlines and go strictly wireless? What ever decision is made concerning wireless and landline it will be made on economic reasoning. Some areas will get and others won't it is that simple. Maybe my kids or grandkids will see this occur but it probably won't be me (I am an old man you know).

To Posted by valley nemesis May 19, 2009 - 1:39pm
"Hey amazed in the Valley. Cable repair is certainly something that it takes a certain type of person to learn. But its certainly not as difficult as you make it out."

I have worked on almost all of the outside craft jobs from Specials to CST. That statement that you made "certainly not as difficult as you make it out." reveals to me that you actually don't know what you are posting about. Maybe you consider frogging through a section as a "repair". Maybe you consider reverse cutting a pair as a "repair". I could continue on in this vein but but those and other examples I could give would not be considered a repair by any decent cable repair tech. Depending on the environment and type of OSP will depend on how much science/meters and art/experience will go into repairing it. From your post it appears that you work in a very defined section of your city/town area. Do you put 75-160 miles a day on your vehicle like most techs in my area? You wouldn't post the above statement if you worked in all different areas.

"As a Service tech I was completley productive after about 3 months and certainly never missed my numbers from the beginning"

Everyone knows that different areas have different levels of difficulties. My experience has shown that if you easily make your numbers in an exchange then the OSP is in good shape and or the terminals or easily accessed on the ground. As soon as you move into an area that has raggedy air core in aerial terminals that are located in people's back yards you struggle to make your numbers. When you post that you were basically an asskicking cable repairman after 3 months you are revealing that you don't have any experience.

"....I of course had prior phone experience but not with the phone company."

What exactly does that mean? Did your experience consist of installing IW and running jumpers at the demarc? Did you pull House Cable through the building? Did you do the Cat5/6 structured cable kind of thing? Did you use the tone and probe and multimeter kind of thing?

If you did these things then they definitely helped you on the Service Order kind of work.
They would also help you on normal exchange tickets.

However, on cable tickets they are about the level of Preschool training. If you consider that a cable ticket doesn't alway consist of an open or short. If you consider that the open or short may not be in a terminal. I could continue on and on but you get the drift.

"I also had a background in electronics. I am one of 14 that was hired that had that background and 1 of 14 that excelled."

I am proud of you I also had a "background in electronics". I specialized in robotics and automation what did you specialize in? I only point this out since you seem to wave your electronic experience like a flag or badge of honor. You remind me of the management team who pull "facts" out of their ass and don't have any data to support them.

"company should change thier hiring process not make it easier to make numbers."

This statement may be true but again YOU don't have enough experience to make that type of statement.

"As for Cable repair. Reading a good new model meter can make it just as easy to learn."

Having or not having the proper meters can make or break you in the field. But I can promise you that not all techs have access to the same meters. I have worked metro and outstate areas. The metro areas almost always receive the equipment first and then they will begin to trickle out. At times this process takes years.

"If the company had the abilitiy to promote the right people into these jobs. (union stops it)"

Please be specific and give examples. I have never witnessed this though I have heard of this one who knew this one who knew that one who........

"I work cable repair and have Zero trouble doing my job."

If you aren't having any trouble then you don't work in the cable repair field.

"Are the measurments accurate yet.....NO the company doesnt measure what I do very well but have you seen any one get fired yet....I have not."

I agree with you on this point.

"Do your job and do it well and you'll be here. DOnt do your job and whine alot and who knows ....the union may keep your job for you or not."

Wow define doing your job well.

Wow define not doing your job well.

I look forward to our ongoing dialog.

LOL wirless phones do send alot of signal through trunks from cell to switch to cell...but Microwave hops are quite common and if the landline side expects to survive on wireless business alone there will be a big problem on the horizon. T1's and DS3 do not require the current manpower. Broadband is only momnets away from being wireless. I have watched it develop from wireless CDPD to 3G in a matter of 10 years and its moving faster and faster towards wireless.

Hey amazed in the Valley. Cable repair is certainly something that it takes a certain type of person to learn. But its certainly not as difficult as you make it out. As a Service tech I was completley productive after about 3 months and certainly never missed my numbers from the beginning....I of course had prior phone experience but not with the phone company. I also had a background in electronics. I am one of 14 that was hired that had that background and 1 of 14 that excelled. The company should change thier hiring process not make it easier to make numbers. As for Cable repair. Reading a good new model meter can make it just as easy to learn. If the company had the abilitiy to promote the right people into these jobs. (union stops it) I work cable repair and have Zero trouble doing my job. Are the measurments accurate yet.....NO the company doesnt measure what I do very well but have you seen any one get fired yet....I have not. Do your job and do it well and you'll be here. DOnt do your job and whine alot and who knows ....the union may keep your job for you or not.

How in the world do you think your wireless phones operate anyway? Do you think the things you say, view and send are transmitted from tower to tower to tower then to the moon and maybe bounced off a satellite back to your phone? Then, when you call a wireless phone from your landline phone it magically transmits through the air to one of these magic towers? Same with internet right??? There's no dial tone involved so it must be magic. My UVERSE is delivered magically through the humidity in the air. It bounces from microscopic water bead to another.

Pride goeth before a fall ...

It seem to be going around that all it takes to do an outside techs job is a couple months worth of computer based training, well I got news for you. The average cable maintenance tech went to school for splicing for about 6 weeks 2 weeks splicing and 4 weeks advanced trouble shooting. And if you were lucky enoough to have a good teacher you might have learned to apply most of what you are taught. But then that tech gets sent back to his or her respective garage where he continues to ride along with what ever tech management see fit to teach. Now based on what i have experienced you learn quick who's brain to pick when you need an answer to a problem and who you know will not be able to awnser. It takes an average of 6 months to a year just to get enough of a grasp of what you are doing in the field to get by with the numbers management expect. About 2 years to get comfortable with the plant you are working in, and that is for the more technically inclined tech. Some techs we have barely get by are dumb as a box of rocks. But they still learn how to get the job done. But some that are more technical become a goto person for management usually become somekind of specialist so to say, CANNOT be replaced. You may think you can do my job and you maybe be able too. But it takes time, Its not just about training it is about experience. WHOOPTY DOO you have 15 yrs experience contracting. You still don't have the knowledge of my plant or the experience trouble shooting it that i do and guess what you never will. Because if we do go on strike, your time scabbing will be short lived. Sure the company has money to hold out for a while but I gan gaurentee you that they won't hold out long. To much at stake it is going to cost them too much. By the time you figure out what area is what will be right back to doing what you do best contracting, and we the people who have worked to make sure this company is what it is will be right back to working as at&t bargained employees. For those of you that think the company is going to just fire us and hire you. COME NOW, are really that stupid. The company has already invested too much in us to just let us go, and just start over from scratch training new techs, while you spend 1 month trying to pull your head outta your asses the company and the union will be resolving the issues and when it is all said and done you will be right back in the unemployment line. Don't for a second think any mokey can do my job if that was true, the company would have impelemented a monkey training camp. That would be funny though

Its been said before but it needs to be said again, the wires are not going away anytime soon and someone needs to work on them. VOIP, guess what wires, wireless phone wires there too, internet.... oh yeah lots of wires.

It is simply amazing how blind some people are to the fact that this company is just flat out using this reccession as an excuse to make more money. The company made 12.9 billion last year that is after they paid out all salaries, including all the top executives 33million. That is after they paid out all benefits, after they paid out all the dividends, the supplies, the trucks, the fines, the placement of a whole new fiber to the node network. which all costeed somewhere in the area of 115 billion. I know that here in the valley the company placed approximately 500 fiber nodes to heat up uverse service to as many customers possible. The basic uverse package is about 6 time more expensive then the most expensive pots calling plan. And from the node it still runs over the same copper pairs that you pots(plain old telephone service) ran over. It funny how the company points out that the wireline or pots service has dwindled down 20% over 3 years which, hey what do you know was about the same time at&t started pushing dry loop dsl, and uverse. So of course we lost pots services but they aren't lost, at least 80% of the 20% mentioned pots lines were upgraded to the more expensive dsl or uverse service, oh and not to mention more then likely that one pots line turned into a wireless number, or two or three for those of us that have family plans. So how can the company with a straight face say the union members that work wireline services are the ones with the richest health care. That is like asking why did the ceo of this company make 22 million dollars last year? Because somewhere someone thought he earned it? Maybe, most of us don't. But i bet you ask most managers if the technicians that work outside everyday climbing poles in the rain sleet and snow to make sure that your, pots, dsl,uverse, and cellular service, no matter what company you have cell service through, keeps working deserve the benefits and pay that they have with this previous contract. Most of them will say they do, if you don't think so then your just lying to your self to make your conscience feel better about stepping on all the people that make this company what it is. As far as next year goes I can tell you right now that the company will pull a much bigger profit in next year. Simple math all the fiber they laid in the past year all the fiber nodes they have placed they are all making money already. They company will still place some but not even half as many as they did this year, so what does that mean? Easy it means instead of the company spending 100 billion next year to place more fiber/ and fiber node they will make money off of the the now placed and in service uverse services then they will only have to spend 50 billion placing fiber. Yup that means twice as much profit and at half the cost. And you want to act like we are going under come on how stupid do you think we are? Auto companies didn't go down because of health care they went down because of ignorance and greed. We aren't asking for more pay or benefits we are just asking that you be fair to us. I know that is asking alot from you people that have everything given and provided for you. But be reasonible, Don't just step on us because we are littler than you or so you think. there are more of us then there are of you. Oh and all of you crazy contractors that think you can do my work, i don't place or replace cable I fix it. And i still have yet to see a contractor make use of any trouble shooting skills the he or she might think they have. Good luck trying to do my job

It is simply amazing how blind some people are to the fact that this company is just flat out using this reccession as an excuse to make more money. The company made 12.9 billion last year that is after they paid out all salaries, including all the top executives 33million. That is after they paid out all benefits, after they paid out all the dividends, the supplies, the trucks, the fines, the placement of a whole new fiber to the node network. which all costeed somewhere in the area of 115 billion. I know that here in the valley the company placed approximately 500 fiber nodes to heat up uverse service to as many customers possible. The basic uverse package is about 6 time more expensive then the most expensive pots calling plan. And from the node it still runs over the same copper pairs that you pots(plain old telephone service) ran over. It funny how the company points out that the wireline or pots service has dwindled down 20% over 3 years which, hey what do you know was about the same time at&t started pushing dry loop dsl, and uverse. So of course we lost pots services but they aren't lost, at least 80% of the 20% mentioned pots lines were upgraded to the more expensive dsl or uverse service, oh and not to mention more then likely that one pots line turned into a wireless number, or two or three for those of us that have family plans. So how can the company with a straight face say the union members that work wireline services are the ones with the richest health care. That is like asking why did the ceo of this company make 22 million dollars last year? Because somewhere someone thought he earned it? Maybe, most of us don't. But i bet you ask most managers if the technicians that work outside everyday climbing poles in the rain sleet and snow to make sure that your, pots, dsl,uverse, and cellular service, no matter what company you have cell service through, keeps working deserve the benefits and pay that they have with this previous contract. Most of them will say they do, if you don't think so then your just lying to your self to make your conscience feel better about stepping on all the people that make this company what it is. As far as next year goes I can tell you right now that the company will pull a much bigger profit in next year. Simple math all the fiber they laid in the past year all the fiber nodes they have placed they are all making money already. They company will still place some but not even half as many as they did this year, so what does that mean? Easy it means instead of the company spending 100 billion next year to place more fiber/ and fiber node they will make money off of the the now placed and in service uverse services then they will only have to spend 50 billion placing fiber. Yup that means twice as much profit and at half the cost. And you want to act like we are going under come on how stupid do you think we are? Auto companies didn't go down because of health care they went down because of ignorance and greed. We aren't asking for more pay or benefits we are just asking that you be fair to us. I know that is asking alot from you people that have everything given and provided for you. But be reasonible, Don't just step on us because we are littler than you or so you think. there are more of us then there are of you. Oh and all of you crazy contractors that think you can do my work, i don't place or replace cable I fix it. And i still have yet to see a contractor make use of any trouble shooting skills the he or she might think they have. Good luck trying to do my job

The Company has always said that wirelines are not profitable. But ever since we started offering Uverse, I think that the wireline service has become profitable. The company says it is losing access lines, but have added 1 million uverse customers... mainly on unbundled lines (ie no Dialtone on these lines). I really think that their profit margin is higher on these lines than Dialtone lines.

To the person asking if wireline is profitable: When you say wireline what are you asking? Are you just talking about Plain old telephone service or are you talking about everything that wireline carries? I would think every part of AT&T is profitable and without the wirelines and everything the wireline technicians turn up, install, and maintain there would be no profits at all.

Wireless is fed by wirelines.
Uverse uses 1 copper pair from crossbox to residence that we need to maintain. In the near future it will be 2 pairs.
Yes, we do occasionaly use slicker and greywire to fix cable problems, but that is only because it takes an act of god to get cable replaced and the managers are on us to get the job completed in less than 2 hours.
Precall customer, drive to the location, identify the problem, isolate the trouble to 1 span, fix the problem, complete all documentation, leave the proper leave behind information and do it in less than 2 hours as our standard is 4 jobs in 1 day. And to the retiree that had 25 years in and said that the union never did anything for them... How much do you pay for health care. I was on strike for 4 days the last time so that you could have free health care.
And yes, my family has been affected by the economic situation. My wife has been out of work for 12 months and we still have the same bills that we had 1 year ago. We deal with those bill every two weeks when I get paid. If we strike, we have a good chance of losing everything as we are living payday to payday. If the company starts charging us more for health care and there is no raise to compensate it, we probably will lose everything also. I love the company I work for, but Why is it that Us workers are the only ones suffering? 12.9 Billion sure doesn't seem like amount that the company is suffering. When the economy turns around will the company be suffering then too? How much will the profits be then?

You didn't answer the question though. Is the wireline profitable?

Of course wireless requires wireline trunks to operate, but there is waaay less overhead in wireless. A ton less red tape and a much more efficient model.

wireless wont work without landlines.hell im one of the substandard contactor and i even know that

Is the wireline side of AT&T even profitable? I thought people were cancelling wireline services in droves? Most people I know dont even have a wireline anymore (including me). Wireless is here with great service and awesome data speeds. I can see why the company is reluctant to give in with these negotiations.

I do wish everyone good luck though.

I love the company's website on the contract negotiations. I mean they have a questions part and well they just don't care to answer them.

My first question and repeated the question the following day.

I thought U-verse is expanding throughout the country and as a company, we surpassed over 1 million subscribers and the CEO predicted it will be available to 30 million by the end of 2010. Does U-verse not use the wire lines to some extent? If so wouldn’t these customers/subscribers need those wire lines?

2nd question (3rd time sent)

This will be the third time I asked this question and I am sure once again it will be ignored.

Does U-VERSE use the wireline to operate/function?

I find it interesting that you are hammering wire line loss and yet IGNORE the fact that the CEO himself stated that U-VERSE would be available to over 30 million people by the end of 2010. U-VERSE uses the wireline.

Sounds like a bunch of double talk to me. I am sure this will be ignored again since it completely contradicts the "wireline loss theory" yet the CEO himself states otherwise. So which is it?

Last question.

AT&T made 13 Billion AFTER ALL expenses, which included the employees health coverage and the CEO's BONUS and PAY RAISE, oh yeah plus the 33 Million to the executive board as well as the stock options thrown their way.

The auto industry had record losses while AT&T had record gains in a down economy. Apples to Oranges. AT&T's products are charged monthly and are used daily. The auto industry sells one car to their average consumer 3-5 years and in most cases longer. Now add a down economy and you can see that the auto industry is not going to sell cars as early and often. Even the foreign auto company's had record losses. Oh yeah they don't cover their employees health care as well. So how do you explain the foreign company's losses since you are comparing health care cost???

VERY BAD EXAMPLE!!!

Like other questions I have asked, I am sure this will be ignored because once again it does not look good for the company.

Those managers looking for the rocket scientists....they are not above you because they don't even know how this company works.

You sound really sour on the Union. If you really worked here for 25 years, you know the Union negotiated every benefit you have ever received! You didn't do it, The Company did not give it to you,the Union got for you. Give back---NO WAY! Everyone knows what you give back never comes back.

This company is not poor! They insult us by comparing the GM folks and their Union. GM is not in the shape it is in because of their Union! Wake up people. GM did not care of busines as they should have. ATT/SBC/SWBT has paid their bills, given their upper management bonuses, bought their houses(San Antonio), paid high wages for years! They are trying to take advantage of the economic crisis other companies are in to abuse the employees/retirees once more! We face it everyday at work and now it comes home to our families. ATT does not care about its union workers! The answer here is for Ranall Stephenson to stop lying to the public! Tell the truth about wireline services! It is not going away as he has predicted! It is alive and well, check out the profit from U-verse alone! Att made money last year and will continue to do so!

So and we earned it fairly also!! Most in management barely know they own job, and you DON'T NEED A DEGREE TO BE A AT&T MANAGER all you have to do is know someone DUH!

You make fair wages and have fair health coverage because union worker have set the standard for your business. If we didn't bargain for these items, you surely wouldn't have the standard you enjoy now. I'm extremely happy that your employer treats you so well. It is a lot different for many people

ATT Made a PROFIT of 12.9 Million Dollars last year.

That is $12,900,000,000.

Its hard to get your head around that figure. Lets see how it stacks up....

A dollar bill is .0045 inches thick
12,900,000,000 * .0045 = 55,470,000 inches tall
55,470,000 / 12 (inches per foot) = 4,622,500 feet tall in dollar bills
4,622,500 / 5280 (feet per mile) = 875.47 Miles of dollar bills or
175.09 Miles of $5 bills or
87.54 Miles of $10 bills or
8.75 Miles high of $100 bills

ATT could also bail out Ford, Chevy and Chrysler with their PROFITS from last year.

Another Case of Corporate Greed. Why not make the employees pay another 2 billion in health care so ATT can show a profit of 14.9 Billion next year.

Well genius I don't believe you have any idea what your talking about.DSL and UVERSE come in on those same lines.

Sadly, what I see from non-union workers here is jealousy. They have taken the pipe from the company and now instead of standing up and fighting they would rather blame those in the union who have fought and won better benefits etc. The company has lowered their health care, benefits and now denied them a pay increase because they can. This shows just what happens to workers without a union. What sense does it make to direct their rage against union workers instead of the people who are doing this to them. Support the working man for crying out loud. A gain for any translates to a gain for all. Do the managers think that lowering union benefits will help them? Think people. The company will lower your standard of living. Stop hating those who have something more than you. Fight for better benefits and pay. The reason managers are getting hammered now is because of one thing. They don't have a union! Stop hating and hope that union workers preserve the middle class way of life. Union workers aren't over paid. Non-union is underpaid. Take it out on the one that is responsible. The COMPANY.
Thumper

Let's get real folks. I worked for SBC for 25 yrs.
The UNION and it's leaders--SUCKS. Everytime that I had a grievance, I ended up being MY OWN mouthpeice because it was like the union was on the company's side. Talking about "fat pockets" are, yes, Randall but also the union so called "President and the rest". They are getting PAID! I have often thought about publishing a book about "On the inside of the Phone company".
The favoritism, the backbitting, the union lack of representation-but never failing to take your DUES every two weeks. This company IS NOT what it use to be. I call in for my own service now and the customer service is lousy! The management is arrogant, most still have milk on their breathe and don't know a jack from a regular hole in the wall. And you're asking for MORE MONEY! Deal with the BENEFITS! We can ask for more money when TIMES gets better.(like next contract) Ask Randall to REDUCE his pay and tell him that the CWA workers wants the SAME BENEFITS THAT HE AND HIS FAMILY HAS! Let him know that he's not TAKING NOTHING! We have NOTHING to give. The insurance has become a total JOKE as it is. And for anyone that's planning or even thinking about retiring-you need to FIGHT for YOURSELF! The UNION plays games as someone said in one of the previous comments. If they come up with a contract that is going to feel good for them--trust me, they will settle. And it's not about US: if you get my drift. But my last words are: GOD HAS THE LAST SAY IN ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS!

To those who feel unions are not important...look back at the standard of living set in this country because of labor unions. As membership declines so has the standard of living. To those of you not in a labor union and claim to be making a decent living..again, labor unions have set that standard. We have witnessed corporate greed on every level. What is the ratio between top management and the common worker? We at AT&T shipped jobs overseas to the dismay of our customers. We on the front lines hear from customers everyday about the poor service and language barrier issues.Tech support reading from scipts do not give good customer service. My Grandfather who passed away 10 years ago at 96 told me about what is was like before unions. Management would hand them their utility bills and if they didn't pay, they didn't have a job. Educate yourselves before you tear up labor unions. We have all witnessed the corporate greed that has crippled our nation. subprime loans etc....AIG... Enron...remember!!! If workers don't have a decent standard of living, who in this country will be able to keep phone service, tv, cellular and so on. People want to blame the UAW for the auto crisis. We give handouts to the banks,but do not want to help our auto industry, People can't qualify for loans due to the banking crisis to purchase an automobile. The demand was for SUV's not long ago until the oil skyrocketed. AT&T can afford to offer it's employees a decent standard of living. We are not overpayed by any means and the stress level of the job is intolerable. People should not have to be on antidepressants to do their job. Which many are. Don't judge till you have done the job. People need to educate themselves on whats going on in this Country. If they lower our standard of living, it will translate into a lower standard of living for everyone..guaranteed!
Techs making 9 dollars an hour is an insult. How can you feed a family, put a roof over your head, utilities, health care, food, keep a car on the road, pay auto insurance, have a family? I guess we should all make minimum wage. If people don't have a decent living, the whole Country goes down the tubes. Who will be able to afford anything..God Bless

My son is a full time college student. He has cp and has fallen down his whole life. He also has a type of migraine that mimics a stroke. It took 6 hospitals to be able to diagnose that. He has also had 4 knee surgeries. I cannot even imagine what will happen if we get management insurance. I don't want to be like this copy and paste from another board I post on.
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friends,
I am experiencing intermittent abdominal pain, accompanied by blood in the urine and a low grade fever. my doctor suspects a kidney stone, and has scheluded a ct scan (which I cant afford!) for Monday. She also noticed tenderness around the gall bladder region. At any rate, I would appreciate your prayers for a quick recovery.
Love,

Wendy
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This is what att wants.

Also I want to point out again that there is far more than health that we may strke about. Pay reduction . sick days personal days they want everything. I am in the only state in midwest that does not have mandatory overtime and I don't want it.

another example of corporate greed. att is number 8 in the WORLD IN PROFITS...

Screw the workers who made those profits...

And as for one person comment that the Union should be pushing for retraining so that employees can have a chance at moving into other areas of the company as times change, well that is one of the proposals the union made to AT&T, which was soundly rejected by AT&T.

I would be amazed if AT&T locked out those whose contract expires tonight. This contract covers a little over 100,000 office workers and field techs. if they lock them out then all those workers will be going to the unemployement office monday morning. That would drive up AT&Ts unemployment insurance in a mahor way, and they would still have to payall the contractors that they have been training to work in the field. And by the way, on average, these contractors will be making $10.00 and hour more that the techs who install and repair AT&T U-verse service, and on top of that they will also get a meal allowance. So it would not be in the companies best interest financially to lock them out.

Also, even the AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said he would not take his bonus to show solidarity for his managers who did not get raises this year it did not stop him from taking 679594 shares in stock as part of his compensation which gives him a grand total of $ 14.41M in company stock now. When the company relocated from San Antonio to Dallas they baight mr. Stephensons house for $1.7 million, and to my knowledge has yet to sell it. When SBC communications bought out AT&T as an incentive to get AT&T Execs to relocate to San Antonio they boguth all their houses for $20,000 above market value and "have yet to sell them". And revenues are up, they made $12.9B in profits last year and have told shareholders that it is a sign for solid growth this year. Corporate GREED is what got our economy where it is now, and now AT&T is wanting to follow suit.

They say that wireline services is in decline, yet they told shareholders that they expect their U-Verse Service, which is a wireline service, to be a multi billion dollar enterprise for the company with major revenue and profit potential. If you take into account that AT&T has over 1 million u-verse subscribers nation wide and more being added every day, well you do the math and decide if you think wireline is in decline for at&t.

That VOIP is carried on the same dsl/dry loop lines (that also carry POTS), I install and maintain year round. Loss of POTS lines???? at&t quit "counting" POTS lines several years ago, and now refer to them as connections.
Loss of "POTS" lines can be decieving.

I am angry at Randall Stephenson's attitude toward bargained for employees. I am angry with his anti-worker / anti-family tactics. Show some respect. I understand that most Americans attitude toward the Union, "You should be lucky you have a job" is not in our favor right now and those with that attitude will take our jobs for half our pay in a heartbeat. However, if we concede to AT&T's demoralizing tactics it will be a huge setback for middle class America. AT&T is not hemoraging cash right now like the auto companies. AT&T profited $13 billion last fiscal year because of well paid, well educated union employees that are dedicated to their jobs. If this management continues to mistakingly believe award winning quality of service will continue at decreased compensation then they will get what they pay for. Granted, profits will increase for the short time because all the quality people will be gone, but soon the profits will follow to the other companies those quality workers choose to bless their dedication to. Solidarity.

yea!!! and randall makes 1.2 mill. in 20 days pushing us to pad his pockits

I find it strange that those who complain about the union worker's sense of entitlement would rather see all workers reduced to the same level of poverty. A desire to see us all reduced to the lowest common denominator is short-sighted and mean spirited. Outsourcing has decimated our country, contributes to poor service, and lowers American standards of living. When a corporation pays ten cents on the dollar for the production of a product, they are not doing so out of an altruistic desire to help the world economy.

Everyone here has been focusing on health care and the small amount that is paid by union members. No one mentions that our health care pays less than medicare, or that most doctors won't take it. AT+T is self-insured and pays management companies to administer the plans. They have the final say about what is covered and what is not, and are not governed by state regulations because they are self-insured.

To ask union members to pay the obscene prices that management pays for the same pitiful coverage is only part of the issue. Much more serious are the take backs in pensions which will bascially gut defined benefits on the lump sum option. Ask any manager how their retirement compares to a union member's. It is no accident that the managers make less; it is because they have no leverage.

Add to that the "at risk" pay that was referred to earlier and any of the other retrogressive proposals by AT+T, and you would truly understand the danger that bargained for workers are facing.

"At risk" or pay for performance means that only %60 of your pay is guaranteed and that the other %40 can only be obtained by making unreasonable quotas that are determined by the company. We've already seen the effects of trusting AT+T to come up with reasonable criteria. No pay raises for managers this year, and no team award (bonus) for union workers despite a banner year in profits.

Sadly, the last person to comment about all of this being predetermined is probably correct. We as citizens need to understand that we need to fight against erosive take backs at every profitable company. By doing so we help raise the standards for all workers at any level.

There will be strike. Both AT&T & the CWA are counting on it.

- In a 2 day strike AT&T will make back all CP09 training costs, travel, web course development, etc. They've done the math and if anything you can expect the strike to last at least a few days.

- If the strike lasts for a week or more, AT&T will actually make a profit. To ensure this, it will not extend to the point where customer sat is adversely affected, and if maintenance costs/critsits do rise expect a quick roundtable between the two sides.

Given the current state of the economy, AT&T is simply maintaining the status quo and fortifying share holder value. As a result the strike will last for a pre-determined timeframe that has been carefully calculated & agreed upon by both upper AT&T management and the CWA representation. In the end the net result will be a profit for the company.

Craft & management personnel both feel like they're at odds with one another, but in reality this game has already been planned out and the plays are set in motion. There is no true "fight" between the two groups. Instead this is a deliberate operation with a desired result.

AT&T will be obstinate about leveraging health care costs well beyond the contract deadline. The CWA will continue to "stand the line" to systematically rally their constituency and nourish loyalty to the union.

After the agreed to timeframe has passed for the strike you'll see AT&T & the CWA reconvene with yet another "round of talks". In the end both sides will 'negotiate' a moderated stance from their original conversely situated positions.

Expect a "tiered plan" agreement for the eventual healthcare package. AT&T will still provide a "free" plan to satiate the union core, but the coverage will be insubstantial compared to the HSA (Health Savings Account) or higher deductible plans. In the end, very few will opt for the cost free alternatives.

AT&T is not filthy rich but yet trying to dump healthcare costs on craft. The CWA is not lazy and expecting something for free. These attitudes have risen from the workers on both sides that are simply in the middle of this and have not been given any sense of direction or warning as to the true direction of the eventual plan.

The business is changing, the economy is changing, and times are changing. This is a short-term shell game to placate everyone and in the end the CWA & AT&T will have both modified their original positions that we've seen both sides so enthusiastically defend.

AT&T will actually lose money if there isn't a strike, so don't expect any miracles this late in the game. This situation is entirely planned and accounted for. In the end both "sides" will be vindicated.

I am a cwa member and I hope we don't steike. But more than that I hope that AT&T does the right thing and treats the people who are the foundation of this companies success with dignety.Randall stevenson has only been in charge for a few years and if anyone is acting like they are entitled to something for nothing it's him. He never gaffed a chewed up pole in the dark while it was raining so some elderly lady could get her life alert working. He never had to spend an extra 2 hours at a customers house gold plateing a repair to win over an angry customer who spent and hour on the phone trying to get an appointment only to have it cancelled by an automated system. He never had to be berated by his manager when he came back to the garage because his efforts to save the customer cost him an extra widget. Those of us on the front lines are the ones who care about this company and "our" customers. Randall Stevenson doesn't give a rats a** about the customers he only cares about their money. I hope someone in management is from the old school. This company used to truley care about the techs and the customers. Now we are all liabilies in their eyes. It's very sad.

That sounds like a threat. I think you need to be careful.

There is UVERSE PREM techs that are making as low as $9 an hour and getting treated like crap!!! The company made 13 Billion in profits last year in other words they made enough to bail out the auto industry if they wanted to. The CEO took home over 25Million last year!!! Its a bad economy yes but not for AT&T. AT&T needs to give its employees a fair contract because they can afford it they are not hurting at all and wont be anytime soon.

The AT&T bargained for employees are not being greedy. Our work has been the key ingredient in the profits experienced by AT&T this year and in years past. My husband has been battling cancer for over a year. His treatment has cost well over $1,000,000 dollars. With out our healthcare and disability benfits he would not have been able to receive the quality of healthcare that made possible his survival and we would have had to sell our home. Living on the street would have been a real possibility. Unions protect worker's rights. When I needed additional time off from work to care for my husband the Union was there to protect my job and negotiate the time I needed. So Many of the opinions I have read here truly sadden me. The Union isn't asking the company to compensate its employees excessively. We helped bring SBC/ATT to the successful comapny it is today. We do not want to see our jobs turned over to low paid contractors or outsourced to foreign countries more than they already have been. AT&T wants to do away with some job titles so that it can re-distribute the same work under a new title and pay less for it. We do not want to be burdened with the high costs of healthcare that lower management is unfairly forced to bear. We want to retire with dignity as a reward for years of excellent service to the company and the customer. It is said we are the highest paid workers in the communication industry. At a profit of 12.9 billion dollars It seems like AT&T has gotten their money's worth. I will support my brothers and sisters in SOLIDARITY. I will walk that picket line and my husband who works for a comapny that has a service contract with AT&T has already made it known he will stand with us and not cross the picket line. A strike will be costly for us. My husband will only be receiving disabilty pay and I will not have my regular pay coming in as well and like everyone else we have bills. We are not socialists. We are an Average American couple willing to take a stand for a just cause, for fairness, for continued hope in the American dream that our ancestors fought for.
I hope that a contract can be agreed upon by Saturday night. If not I and I hope many others are prepared to fight the fight for now and the future or our jobs.

So this was supposed to be black Friday. I didn’t see anybody at my location “Mobilizing”.
Direct quote from CWA D4 -
Mobilization News: With a little over 24 hours left until contract expiration, members are packing up their desks, turning in keys, badges and putting on their walking shoes. Many Locals have candlelight vigils planned for Saturday. They’re ready to put this contract to rest and do whatever it takes to reach a new agreement that is fair and meets the needs of our members.

My guess is the union is going to take whatever is on the table literally at the 11th hour.
If you don't strike (and I'm betting you don't) whatever credibility unions have as serious about protecting their members and getting what they believe is a "Just & Fair" agreement goes out the window.
I hope you do strike. Mostly because I’m sick of “UNITED WE BARGAIN……….. DIVIDED WE BEG!!!!!!!!!!!
You are already begging and a heck of a lot of whining too! Put up or shut up!

Go Mike in Waco. Why should I stand but well ceo continue to lines his pockets on my hard work?

VOIP phone service isnt 1/4 as reliable as landline phones

you knew that before you took a managment job...

"free market value". If it's free market value, why don't you take your product elsewhere?

Steve Joneses, you wrote: "Free markets dictate, not some socialistic point of view that we are entitled to anything.......take your socialist, Obama mentality with you."

No one is saying we are entitled to anything, but we are saying we are able to act according to a free market and set the value of our "product" that is our members’ worth as employees. If we were your "friendly" neighborhood wal-mart and refused to buy products until the cost was lowered to the point of a very small profit for the company that produced them, You would stand up and cheer because it was corporate America getting over on the little guy.
Well we are the little guys and we are saying we are not going to sell our product so low it will barely be enough to live in the middle class. We are not going to stand by while corporate America abolishes the middle class and widens the gap between the upper and lower class. We would just like the chance to own a home, raise a family without the threat of our jobs being sent to another country, and to be able to send our children to college. We know our worth and we will not “sell our product at less than it’s free market value!”
And labor unions have been around since before America and they will be around for a very long time, so Obama has nothing to do with how we feel about OUR WORTH AS EMPLOYEES!!