CWA/AT&T MOBILITY BENEFITS

BARGAINING REPORT 

June 28-29, 2008

After being ready to meet with the company all day Saturday, we were called late in the evening and advised that the Company was not prepared to meet with us.

The Union and Company committees did meet several times on Sunday afternoon and evening. We raised multiple concerns over the Company's counter proposal that they put across the table.  It is unbelievable, but their counter is actually worse than their first proposal!  The Company still cannot justify their proposed cost shifting and the financial burden they want to place on our members.

We only have one more day to meet, and we are still very far apart from reaching a tentative agreement.

CWA/AT&T MOBILITY BENEFITS

BARGAINING REPORT 

June 16, 2008

 The Bargaining Committee met again with the Company on Friday with demands that they provide outstanding data still owed to us.  It is still apparent that we are the only ones who came to this table to look for possible solutions to what the Company says, but can't show, are problems with the current health care plan.  Instead, the Company wants us to simply put forward another proposal with "shot in the dark" ingredients of retrogression!  But we are not interested in giving into the astronomically impacting demand the Company proposed on June 4!

The Company's suggestion that, for a family, an employee who earns the average salary within Mobility today should have to pay out more than 17 percent of their annual income before the plan kicks in is insane, let alone unreasonable and immoral!  We feel that the Company has wasted enough time avoiding the questions and they need to get serious if we have any chance at reaching a tentative agreement!  They need to DO THE RIGHT THING!

The Bargaining Committee appreciates all of the support you have shown!!

Bargaining has been recessed and will reconvene on June 27.

CWA/AT&T MOBILITY BENEFITS

BARGAINING REPORT 

June 13, 2008

 The Bargaining Committee met with the Company late into the night with questions and challenges about some of the data they have thus far provided.  But the Company's responses continue to be meager and evasive and have yet to substantiate a financial need to shift a significant amount of health care costs onto the backs of our hard working members! In spite of us continually asking the question, they have yet to even identify anything specific in the current plan they believe to be their problem high cost areas. All they can say is that the Union's proposal goes in the wrong direction! 

We have come to these negotiations with the goal of reaching an agreement by June 30, but it appears that the Company did not.  Could it be they are hiding behind the buzz on health care to simply force our members to pay more?

We say it's time, AT&T, that you put your money where your mouth is.  Start working with us and give us the tools we need in order to find viable solutions to possible problems. . . . we have never been afraid of a little hard work!

CWA/AT&T MOBILITY BENEFITS

BARGAINING REPORT 

June 11, 2008

 The CWA Bargaining Committee met with the Company yesterday in another intense session of negotiations.  In spite of several hours of questioning the Company on some of the data they have provided us, we are still not hearing anything that substantiates their claim that the Union's proposal puts an insurmountable financial burden on them.

The Union still has many more questions that need to be answered by the Company.  Bargaining will resume again today.

The Committee appreciates your continued support.

BARGAINING REPORT 

June 7, 2008

 The Union and Company committees met yesterday after spending Thursday carefully studying data provided by the Company. 

We had many questions for the Company about items in their data and the Company agreed to provide answers as soon as they get them researched.  We also have challenged the Company to substantiate their claims that our proposal represents a 60 percent increase to their initial costs.  We feel that we have offered a comprehensive and fair health care proposal that is affordable for the Company and that our members deserve.  Despite what the Company message to employees may have stated, at this point, it doesn't appear to us they are serious about trying to reach an agreement by June 30th. 

We have recessed negotiations pending the Company's call with answers to our many questions.