CWA, AT&T square off on health care

I guess it's not over. D6 - San Antonio, Houston, Austin, & DFW all voted down the tentative agreement. I guess back to the tables we go.

I refuse to lay down and let my life style go down the tubes with out a fight. The greedy corporations (execs) is what got our country into this mess. Corruption and greed. Enron is a good place to get a snap shot of what is really going on. Randy will run the "new AT&T" into the ground just like the old one! I would rather die standing up than live on my knees.

STRIKE!

www,unionvoice,org/campaign/attjobsfirst replace the comos with periods

To Posted by Anonymous | April 14, 2009 - 11:05pm

How many managers are guilty of posting during their scheduled tour of duty?

Posted by amazed's co-worker | April 14, 2009 - 10:14pm
"Now you SCABS have done it! He's going to be pouting all day tomorrow, and we are a captive audience and have to listen to him in person. THANKS."

Why don't you just tell him face to face? You claim to be a coworker but everyone has to wonder since you post here instead of just telling him.

Posted by amazed's co-worker | April 14, 2009 - 10:14pm
Now you SCABS have done it! He's going to be pouting all day tomorrow, and we are a captive audience and have to listen to him in person. THANKS...

LOL but, seriously, does he work? He seems to be posting messages during business hours ... I'm thinking he's one of the union negotiators trying to convince everyone of their stance.

Now you SCABS have done it! He's going to be pouting all day tomorrow, and we are a captive audience and have to listen to him in person. THANKS...

Wow! What an intelligent response to the truth. Is that you Randal?

1st things 1st how can you even begin to compare the auto industry to telephone. It is no where near the same communications is a neccesity for most people. autos are a luxury all anyone needs is a means to get around doesn't mean they have to buy a 40000 dollar sports car. Everyone needs to communicate weather by landline, cellular or internet and now we offer tv too majority of households have atleast 2 tvs. you can't compare a neccesity to a luxury.

2nd you need to check your facts, ok dt is drifting away, yes. but where is it going. I'll tell you where, it is going to upgades. 1 household disconnects ther dt and upgrades it to a different service such as dry loop dsl, or uverse which provides internet, tv and yes dt as well(voip) then what does that household do well they get a cell plane usually not just one but a family plan 2 to 3 different numbers. So that 1 household just went from a 20 dollars a month service to about 120 dollars a month service and that is just for basic plans. Why do i point out those other service? Easy, because every one of those service are provided and working on the same exact cable that your dt does, and it is the same cable maintenances crews that repair them when they go out of service.
But cellular is wireless you say, well I got news for you it is only wireles due to all the T1 services that we install to every cell site across the country. which again are installed and maintained by wireline techs. Therefore all the money that makes this company profitable by the wireline side of at&t.
You can sell a city 100 cellular services but if there are not any cell sites that are T1 feed there is no bandwith for those cellular phones to work on therefore no wireless service. Almost every service that At&t offers has some kind of wireline or fiber tech behind it allowing it to work.
The profit will go up, due to the needs and demands for better and better qualities of communications. Look at any elementary school these days ask how many 4th and 5th graders have cell phone or computers for homework that are connected to the internet whether by dial up, dsl, or wireless. Then tell me the wireline side is going away, trust me you be able to, not with a straight face anyway.

To Amazed in the Valley......You talk as though the company is guaranteed that it is going to be profitable in the future. I'm sure that's what the UAW thought as well as they lucrative contract after lucrative contract. Now they are facing the music. The big 3 can't keep up with all the legacy benefits that they agreed to. Go onto the FCC website and look at the number of landline access lines for AT&T over the last ten years. You will find a steady decrease in those numbers.

Why is it so wrong for us to ask to stay the same, the company is profitable, and they will have at least 2x's the profit next year probably closer to 3x's, the ceo , the execs, are not taking pay cuts, they are not paying more out of pocket for their benefits. Until there is a reason for them to take away from us, there in lies the corporate greed. All we ask is to stay where we are while the company grows. If you see that as being unreasonable, well then you are blinder then you think. What is happening to management is sad but what can they do they don't have anyone to fight for them. They all represent themselves. The union wether they are right or wrong on some issues represents a huge force that can't just be overlooked. That is why we have what we have today because we as a united group stand up for what we believe in. Think about it, one person calls randall and tells him what he is doing is wrong he laughs in that persons ear. Even 50000 union employees do that same thing and yeah maybe he laughs at them too but he remembers what was said and maybe it makes him think about it a little bit. Everything we do as a union makes some kind of difference. Yeah we may not be at the bargaining table but at least we are heard. And like my cencal splicer, and construction manager said You may or may not do what you say you do. That is beside the point. we get paid by the hr you get paid by the job. what happens when doing one term goes from 75 dollars to 25 dollars you going to do 30 in a day. As far as 3600 pr in a day still like to see that one. Still all beside the point This is not about what we do it is about how we are seen as employees. The company is just flat out telling us we are not worth the paper they write our checks on and that is wrong. Morale plays a big part on company profits too.

To Amazed in the Valley....The problem is your idea of NEGOTIATIONS is to keep everything the same as you have now. You said so in your previous post. That is not realistic in today's economic times.

oops posted on the wrong article, oh well

make sure to post all of your corrections to my last post in a timely manner.. Grammar 101 is now in session.. LMAO

Why should I quit a job I have vested a long time into making a career out of. Obviously if you weren't so ignorant you wouldn't ask a question so, well IGNORANT. I like my job and I do a good job at it. I am not saying do it my way or hit the highway that is idiotic. That would be why it is called contract NEGOTIATIONS!!
I like the benefits I have now, that is what we are fighting to keep. If you were in my shoes you wouldn't be happy about a company that makes billions of dollars in profits turning around and saying to you, YOU NOT WORTH WHAT YOU MAKE SO WE ARE GOING TO NITPICK EVERYTHING WE CAN THINK OF TO CUT BACK ON YOUR PAY. OH AND AS AN EXTRA BONUS WE ARE GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR YOUR BENEFITS TOO.
If it were one or the other it might be understandable, but its not. Let me ask you this When do benefits not become benefits? When you don't have any or when they start taking them away? And if they only take some away this time and they get away with it, How much are they going to try and take away next time? Why is it while they ask us to pay more and take a pay cut the ceo and top execs paychecks go up? All while they make more and more in profits, oh and all in the mists of a reccession. I guess IGNORANCE IS BLISS. Cause you seem to be perfectly happy asking ignorant questions?

To Amazed in the Valley.....If those types of benefits are so readily available, why not just cut your losses with AT&T and get another job where you can have everything that you want to keep. Maybe GM, Ford or Chrysler are hiring.

To whom ever that obviously has no clue. I never said we couldn't be replaced, anyone can be replaced. I simply made the point that we cannot be replaced as easily as you seem to think. It takes time for any newbie splicer to learn his job right after school, that would be the reason mangement send a newbie on ride alongs for the first few months. You know as well as i do you can't tell someone straight out of school here is a locator, sidekick, 965, and some hand tools go find out why all the people in this neighborhood has static, he or she will be pulling their hair out before they even breakout their hand tools. If we go out on strike, sure there are some people that will be able to get by, never said they wouldn't be able to. They just won't be able to do what me and the majority of my fellow union techs do now, not for a while at least. you claim to do 4 to 8 jobs in an 8hour day, doubt it. Obviously not the type of work I am referring to and diffenately not the type of plant I am accustomed too.

Why can't you get it through your fat head though, this is not about you and me, my skills compared to yours. It is simply about what the company is trying to take back from us, for what? So they can make more money. Not bigger profits theyt are going to make that anyway. Think about it why do managers get what they get? Simple they are represented by anyone that has the power to try and protect them therefore they get what the get cause the company can do what they want to them. It sad that you think it is about union greed, WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING MORE THEN WE ALREADY HAVE!!!!! If our contract stayed exactly the same we would be perfectly happy. What is the company trying to do that is so bad you ask?
Well lets see even though they for see at least a double in profit for next year and the years to come, they want to change how we get paid, 60%/40%. Do you know what that means? It means lets say just for figure sake you make 1000 dollars in 2 weeks, you are gauranteed 600 of it the other 400 is decided upon whether you meet their requirements for sales, productivity, quility, whatever they decide will be the underlying factor. they can say oh wait but you didn't meet your sales requirements for the month you only sold 5 services not 10 therefore here is half of the 400 you earned. or for you outside techs maybe your boss does 2 qualities for that 2 week period 1 you get 100% one you get 50%, oops sorry you don't deserve the other 400 you earned were going to give you 300 of it. don't you see how much bull that is.

Or how about the company saying sunday is just another day. time and a half is not neccessary we will give you time and 1/10, wait if sunday is just a regular why the 10th, cause sunday has always been considered a religious holiday that is why wether you believe or not, go to church or not, it just is.

Lets tchange the 49 hr rule to 56 and then lets bring back forced ot. So for all those people who work ot, we can just cut you out and force the people that don't care to work overtime to work.

Lets see I think we can get away with taking away 2 of you paid holidays presidents' day and the friday after thanksgiving. WOW lets nitpick a little more.

Lets get rid of the differential pay people get for losing their whole day and make it only appicable after 700pm, which means all you people that work 11 to 730pm or 12pm to 8pm we won't pay you differential til after 700pm wow 1 hr of differential pay not worth volunteering for the late shift is it.

Then the big issue healthcare, lets make you guys pay out of pocket expenses, where as you have not had to do before, because it just getting to expensive for us, the company that pays out more in one years salary to the ceo then anyone of you can make in 250 years. must be hard for him. NOT.

Oh wait and while you grab you ankles for us we will just tickle your throat a little with this one.
Lets just pull you pension to a screaching hault. no more contributions. Oh and the retirees, lets just throw them in the trash we don't need them anymore. They're old news, no pun intended, They can just go back to work to survive, And for future reference there will be no more retiring on the companies dime, that'll cut into my bonuses too much. Can't have that now.

AND ALL WE ASK IS THAT OUR BENEFITS, CAUSE THAT IS THE REASON MOST PEOPLE CAME TO WORK FOR THIS COMPANY IS BECAUSE IT BENEFITS THEM, STAY THE SAME.

AT&T is not a sweatshop, it's a profitable company even in the midsts of a reccession. The reason AT&T is what they are today is because, we the people of the working class enjoy working here, it's always been a family and friends type of company. Why are you so intent on changing that?

I see a post saying at&t will take care of it's retired employees!!!!! Yeah they will take everything they can from us and drive most of us into the poor house. If you are not on Medicare you won't have any health insurance!!!!!! They take from the ones who really can't afford it and have already put our time in and were promised Health care. Oh by the way they could give me back my vision insurance as bad as it was it was something. Oh by the way to the member from PacBell and other companies that were bought out by SWBT. What do you expect when your were bought because you were losing money and then they put your managers in charge to run SWBT into the ground.

To Anonymous.....I know Southwestern Bell retirees don't pay...I was referring to what I call legacy AT&T (the original)...not the SBC with the name AT&T

To Posted by Just me | April 12, 2009 - 10:12pm
"Okay, first, I am not a scab, I'm just someone who is asking for information. Why are you so defensive?"
You were very consistent in supporting the at&t line. You dismissed the CWA information without even giving it a chance. This is a typical SCAB position and tactic. You could go to many different CWA local websites for additional information...do a google and you might be amazed at the volume of information you could learn.

"Second, I didn't say AT&T was being straight forward - I said they were more specific that CWA. And I didn't say I didn't like what the union was providing as info - I said it was vague - meaning it could mean a variety of things."
I am going to ask you again to provide information on what parts that are vague to you. The CWA has been much more forthcoming with information than the company. at&t has a difficult time telling the truth. If you are employed with at&t you should know this.

"Only people with blinders on would be willing to strike without being informed."
Only people who are SCABS would believe that we are uninformed. We are willing to strike because we do understand what it represents. We are not going back in time like you would wish us.

Okay, first, I am not a scab, I'm just someone who is asking for information. Why are you so defensive? Second, I didn't say AT&T was being straight forward - I said they were more specific that CWA. And I didn't say I didn't like what the union was providing as info - I said it was vague - meaning it could mean a variety of things. Only people with blinders on would be willing to strike without being informed.

To Posted by Just me | April 12, 2009 - 8:23pm
"Well, that explains why they're so vague. Why would anyone believe anything so generic? At least AT&T's postings give specifics."
Everyone except you and your fellow scabs would say they are straight forward. If you don't like what the information provides that doesn't mean that it is incorrect or vague. What part is incorrect or vague? at&t has asked for an overall rollback of benefits, pay, and working conditions. That is just called negotiations and the way things are done.

On the other hand you have one of the most profitable companies in the USA crying gloom and doom and poverty is upon them. They continue to lie about landline loss also. What difference does it make on what ever information they provide? They began and have continued to lie throughout this process. That reason is why we must have a contract with the company and not rely on their constantly changing perception of reality.

To Posted by Anonymous | April 12, 2009 - 6:37 pm

"this list is from different CWA updates."

Well, that explains why they're so vague. Why would anyone believe anything so generic? At least AT&T's postings give specifics.

To Posted by Retiree | April 12, 2009 - 1:47pm
I retired from Southwestern Bell 13 years ago. I don't pay anything for my health care.

To Posted by Just Me | April 12, 2009 - 3:24pm
The list is from different CWA updates.

Why would anyone believe anything that is posted by at&t? at&t has been issuing misleading and complete falsehoods since the contract talks began.

To Anonymous | April 12, 2009 - 1:36pm

Your list, though impressive, is vague. Again, I ask, where are you getting this information? How do you know what the company is proposing - and when they proposed it?

According to the intraco website (if you're an employee, you have access) - the company is offering wage increases. year one, I believe was low (I think 1%, not sure) because they were also giving a lump sum. from year two forward I believe I saw 2%.

How could there be a "New" Service Rep title at a 40% reduction in base wages. if it's a new title, then they don't have wages to reduce by 40% now.

the company never bargains for retirees at contract time.

Negative proposals regarding ALL Uverse members ... um, what does that mean???

I'm not trying to be sarcastic. I really want to know where the offers are being posted because I haven't been able to find them.

what you fail to realize is that its not just healthcare the company wants to eliminate pensions for existing workers also freeze wages and then pay a significant amount for healtcare beni's. Most of the hourly employees don't mind paying for healthcare at a reasonable expense but 60/40 is ridiculous we just want fair nothin more nothin less

"Unrealistic massive cost shifting to our members on healthcare"

How much are they asking you to pay per month? Are they asking you to pay more than the legacy AT&T managers and retirees already pay ($201.00/mo. for 2 persons and $2300.00 deductible before anything is paid)? If not, then I can't feel any empathy for you at all. Your definition of massive could be a relatively low number since you pay NOTHING right now.

From the beginning of this process AT&T's position has been to seek "Fundamental Change." Here are some examples of what the Company has proposed as "fundamental change".

· Unrealistic massive cost shifting to our members on healthcare

· Elimination of Lump Sum pension option

· No base wage increases for 2 years for ANY member

· Elimination of Sunday Premium

· Eliminate double time after 49 hours

· Unlimited Mandatory Forced Overtime – in ALL States

· Elimination of Guaranteed Personal Time Off

· Gutting our Job Security Agreements

· Destroying our current Monitoring protections

· New Service Representative title at a 40% reduction in base wages

· Refusal to bargain for current retirees

· No movement on DataCom workforce issues

· Negative proposals regarding ALL Uverse members

Is this the kind of "Fundamental Change" that YOU expect from a Company that made $12.9 BILLION Dollars in profits for the year 2008?

Where are you getting these statistics? At a union meeting?

Right now, the union pays nothing for healthcare - and I've seen nothing saying the co wants them to pay 30%. The number I've seen was 10%.

I've also not seen anything about people hired after 1997 - I've heard talk of stopping benefits for new hires (meaing those NOT on the payroll yet).

And, um, I'm sorry, but i'm not going to feel sorry for someone who was hired as a "Temp" and let go earlier than expected. "Temp" is just that- temporary.

SLASH salaries up to 40% ... you're kidding, right? Unless of course you're talking about giving bonuses out based on performance or limiting overtime. THAT does not sound unreasonable.

The other stuff you mention I don't know anything about (i.e. how you move into the other areas of the company and how the co could stop you). But paid holidays are pretty standard .. so unless you can tell me which holiday they're planning on stopping - I'm not going to believe it.

My point is - common sense says that most of what you're regurgitating doesn't make sense for one of the largest Union employers in the country.
So - until CWA either actually calls a strike and lists why the company is being so unfair - I'm not going to believe it. And, for the record, I don't believe the company's press (the little of it I've seen) either. It's called negotiating. You go in with stuff you know you won't get, and the other side does the same - then you meet in the middle.

They want the union to pay 30% of the cost of health care. They want the union to pay the first 38,000 on catastrophic insurance claims. Anyone hired after 1997 would get ZERO benefits upon retirement. They want ZERO double time and be able to force whomever into the overtime regardless if someone volunteers. The temps that they hired and promised a three year gig (only to be let go before the holidays after 1 year) they want to be able to do that whenever they choose. They want to slash salaries up to 40% based on performance. As the jobs of the future (i.e-voip, fiber to the home) become more prevalent...they do not want us to have the ability to get into them. They want to eliminate certain paid holidays. And the list goes on. What exactly do we want you ask? Fairness from a company who has never been anything but profitable.

Okay, I'll ask - If you're "not asking for more" and "not even asking to stay the same" ... what are you asking for???

These posts are hilarious! Go ahead and bash the unions. But let them go away and see what happens. Go ahead and be complacent about your paying for medical. Medical PROFITS have risen over 200% since 1988 and raises in the same time frame have gone up a whopping 2%. And like it or not....most of you complaining...your wage is based on UNION scale in your particular field. Are there lazy or shady union members? Of course there are. But it's no different than any other place of work. We're not asking for more. We're not even asking to stay the same. But to be asked to reduce our standard of living to the point where almost half our pay is affected? What would you do? Would you bend over and take it to help the company increase it's bottom line? If you would then you are nothing more than sheep! I think the union members AND 1st level management should band together and tell the brass off!!!

It is tough to see that we are all taking a you against me attitude when none of us are at the tables presenting the proposals or making the decisions on what happens.

I have yet to find 1 person who is happy about all of this and wants to be deployed. Yet, we have no choice and I can speak for everyone that we will do what we have to in order to keep getting a paycheck.

We have already adjusted to the same requirements for having insurance and continue to live. Everything costs more now and in our economy, having a job, having insurance and being able to bring home some money is a good thing. Yeah we had a sweet deal on insurance too only a couple of years ago, but that is gone.

Take time to talk with people who do not work for AT&T and are not in the union and you will learn that even the deal we have now (and the one proposed) is way better than most persons have at the work if they have an insurance offer at all. I have found myself complaining about the deductible I have to pay and then... oops foot in the mouth... when I hear what my friend and their family has to pay.

I am not saying it is right, but I am saying it is a sign of our times.

Good luck to all.

For those that get pushed into having to strike, I hope it is a short one and you are able to get back to your jobs quickly with a fair deal. Lord knows that you do a hard job that requires intelligence and hard work and do it very well.

For those with no choice and have to go out and perform these tough jobs and leave your families for awhile, do your best but most importantly be safe!

We will all make it through it some how and go on with our lives. Hopefully better for it all and with gracious hearts for everything God has provided for us.

Cable cut in the bay area. Police Investigators believe it is an inside job. Have called in the FBI. Police and FBI say this was a deliberate act of violence and the person had to have the skill to know what they were doing. Put over 50,000 landlines out of business, 911, police, fire and hospitals. If they do get the person, and with a $250,000 reward. They most surely will. THis will not bode well for strikers expecting the public sympathy vote.

In response to Anonymous....Not all of us were trained to do everything that you do. A lot of us were just trained to do POTS installation and repair. I was previously an installation and repair technician earlier in my career, so to me it was just a matter of brushing up. Not too much has changed since then.

heres to all you that got trained to do our jobs in a fairly short time, it took us 4-6 months to fully understand u-verse and there are still alot of bugs in the system. have fun with the trouble tickets and trying to figure out what to do with chronic tickets. it will take you at least 3-4 months to learn uverse and also trying to do mst jobs, no way.

From local 9510

APRIL 10TH

BARGAINING IS ON GOING and after an Easter break.

BARGAINING WILL RESUME ON MONDAY 4-13-09.

THE ROBO CALL THAT IS GOING AROUND IS INFORMATIONAL ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO IMPLY THAT A STRIKE IS IMMINENT .

PLEASE KEEP CHECKING THE WEBSITE AND EXT 57 FOR UPDATES. GO TO WORK TOMORROW IF YOU ARE SCHEDULED BUT IT IS NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL .

UNITED WE BARGAIN DIVIDED WE BEG .YOU WILL BE GETTING ANOTHER ROBO CALL SOON AND IT IS JUST INFORMATIONAL.

KENNY WILLIAMS

Hahaha, a brits teeth. Yeah Canadians come here for healthcare becuase of the quality of healthcare there. You get what you pay for.

Just got word from a CWA member that they have been instructed to call their hotline tomorrow for further instructions. Not sure what to extrapolate from that.

Socialized healthcare - now that's scary stuff. Every seen a Brit's teeth?

I don't think many CWA members realize that most of the low-level managers at AT&T have some craft experience, and, if not, at least have technical backgrounds.

6x12 - piece of cake. That's nothing compared with 13 months of deployment.

Head up high, and cross the line. If CWA doesn't want to take care of the customer, we will.

To amazed - why are you amazed AT&T is using the recession to extract some overdue concessions?

They are just following the lead of the president, who decided to use the "crisis" to foist $1.2T of unnecessary and unstimulative spending on our children and increase the national debt by 3x.

I mean, seriously, if our own maximum leader can do it, why not large corporations?

Interesting comments, some ignorant, some poignant. Unless a management employee has former craft experience, there is no way they can do the job as quickly, effficiently, or safely as a veteran craft employee.

But, let's face it, most managers can pick up the technical details quickly, aren't afraid to ask for help, and working 12x6 will get a lot of experience quickly. A lot of these positions are technical, but, really, this is not rocket science. The longer it goes on, the worse it is going to be for the CWA.

Many managers WILL be demoralized by working this much, but, for the many of us with military experience, working 12x6, getting to go back to a hotel room every night, and having a day off - we can do that standing on our heads.

Here's what I don't understand about the CWA and all unions. You favor some government sponsored/runhealth care system, yet you're willing to strike to keep your very generous employer-provided benefits. I've got news for you, the government system is going to be worse than what you get now, you do understand that, don't you? Then, who are you going to strike?

So, enjoy the benefits while you have them, because after 4 or 8 years of the current administration, we're all going to be in line at the local health clinic.

Thanks for the update...everyone try to relax & enjoy the weekend with your families!

wonder what happen to "Project Easter Bunny"

District 9 too, bargaining won't continue until Tuesday---

CWA District 9/AT&T West Bargaining Bulletin #37 Thursday, April 09, 2009

Today was devoted to in-depth discussions in the Premises Technicians subcommittee.

We are awaiting the Company’s response to our clarifying questions on Healthcare, EAP, Prescriptions, Vision, Dental, etc. Both parties agreed to a formal session on Tuesday. The next report will follow that session.

looks like no strike until at least Tuesday......

This is from CWA6300:
After Seven weeks of Bargaining the Committees have agreed to break for Easter and will continue bargaining on Tuesday, April 14, 2009.

As a bargained for AT&T employee and in the infamous words of Rodney King, "Can't We All Get Along?", I am appaulled by what I have just read on this website. Who are they to question my christianity because I am a union member and may strike with my fellow union members?

I also want to know how senior management can live with themselves when they are sticking it to management and now wanting to stick it to bargained for employees while knowing they don't pay their fair share of their own healtchcare costs?

Heatlth insurance premiums may be inevitable but exorbant premiums as management has been saddled with by senior management can't be resonable or productive for this company.

I have never seen management morale at such a low and probably won't be any better if 12 hour days are required of them for a work stoppage.

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

I'm kinda of ticked off, I'm one of many who was laid after 8+ years on the job. These people are complaining about more money and better benefits. I finally found a contract job after 4 months of being without a job, I'm currently playing catch up with my bills. These people have a job with benefits and they're complaining. I'm with the person who wrote, when you accepted the position you knew what you were getting. I hope this strike happens soon and maybe I'll be one of the luckly ones to get one of those under paid positions with benefits. If the union feels their people should get more money and better benefits let all of them post their resumes and see what they get in the REAL world.