AT&T Southwest reached a milestone last week when they ratified a new contract with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, but the Northeast region and AT&T continue to be miles apart. According to a report in the Waterbury Republican American, the CWA said that AT&T has refused to come to the bargaining table.
"We said, 'Look, we're bargaining with ourselves here. It takes two people to come to a contract,'" said William Henderson, president of Local 1298 of the CWA, which represents approximately 4,000 wireline employees in Connecticut. Henderson added that instead AT&T has been giving the union representatives "ultimatums."
One of the CWA's major concerns is job security. In the past two years, AT&T has either cut or relocated about 1,200 jobs out of its Connecticut region.
Last week's agreement with the Southwest region (District 6)--one that covers 26,000 employees--means that over 70 percent of AT&T's 120,000 wireline workers now have a contract. Now, the only two regions that don't have a contract are AT&T Southeast (CWA District 3) and AT&T East (CWA District 1).
For more:
- Waterbury Republican American has this article
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