CWA sues AT&T over contract weaseling

Doug Mohney — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:03:28 -0400

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has sued AT&T to stop "the company's use of corporate shell games to avoid contractual obligations" to union members.

Filed in U.S. District Court in San Antonio, CWA says the telecommunications company is using recent corporate reorganizations to get out of contractual obligations on employee wages, benefits, seniority and working conditions. The mergers have allowed the new AT&T, Inc. company - made up of the old SBC, Ameritech, Bell South, Pacific Telesis and former parent AT&T Corp, -- to dump old business units, shuffle workers, and change benefits promised to workers under contracts the old companies had with the union.

CWA represents about 180,000 of AT&T's 310,000 workers. In the lawsuit, CWA is asking the court for injunctions to force AT&T to honor its obligations under collective bargaining agreements and to force the company to recognize all subsidiaries' existing union contracts.

AT&T says many of the allegations are inaccurate, and it respects all of its union contracts and adheres to their terms. The company plans to mount an "aggressive defense" against the lawsuit.

Relations between AT&T and CWA are described as "largely friendly," despite a 2004 four-day walkout staged against SBC.

For more:
- My San Antonio reports on CWA lawsuit against AT&T. Post.

CWA: Verizon talks 'disappointingly slow'

Dan O'Shea — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:45:42 -0400

The Communication Workers of America union, in a brief statement late Tuesday night, said negotiations with Verizon had recessed for the evening, and that the "pace of the negotiations is disappointedly slow." Talks were set to resume again this morning.

Meanwhile, Denver-based Qwest Communications still faces the expiration of union contracts affecting more than 21,000 workers on Aug. 16. Qwest and the CWA and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers had earlier expressed the desire to have a new contract worked out before the Democratic National Convention this month and the Republican National Convention next month, events taking place in the Qwest markets of Denver and Minneapolis, respectively. Stay tuned for further updates.

Related articles:
FierceTelecom readers have had a lot to say about ongoing Verizon talks. FierceTelecom report
Qwest and its unions have started working toward a new contract. Qwest report
Verizon and its unions averted a strike last weekend. Verizon report

Union Contracts

CWA sues AT&T over contract weaseling

CWA: Verizon talks 'disappointingly slow'