The Communication Workers of America union gave AT&T 72-hours notice last Friday of a possible walk out that would involve 21,000 of its workers, reports CNN Tech. As of late Monday afternoon, there was no news of an employee walkout.
CWA members have been negotiating with AT&T since early February, and hope to negotiate a rolling extension of their previous labor contract. The CWA announced the threat of a strike the same day as AT&T’s shareholder meeting in Dallas.
“We have given AT&T every opportunity to show their commitment to finding common ground and a fair contract,” Dennis Trainor, vice president of CWA District 1, told CNN Tech. “Time is running out for AT&T to stop undermining good jobs, quality customer service and its long-term success. The pieces are all in place now, and we’ll strike if necessary.”
The union cites the outsourcing of more than 12,000 U.S. call center jobs to Mexico, the Philippines, India and the Dominican Republic as a major reason for the strike. In March, AT&T reached an agreement with 20,000 workers represented by the CWA, which included a promise to “resource” 3,000 jobs back to the U.S.
Even if the threatened strike does occur, AT&T ensured that service would not be interrupted. The company has contingencies in place that it says would mean customers are not affected by a labor stoppage.
“We continue to bargain with the union and remain confident a fair agreement can be reached,” AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said in a statement. “The contract covers good paying U.S. jobs averaging nearly $70,000 a year in pay and benefits.”
May 2, 2017
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