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subject: Leading T1 Service Provider At&t And Ibew Reach An Agreement [print this page]

There is now a small beam of light at the end of the tunnel for AT&T wireline employees.

Sources are reporting that significant progress has been made between the provider and a number of its key landline employees. According to a recent report put out by the Dow Jones Newswire, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) covering roughly 7,000 workers in northwestern Indiana and Illinois have managed to reach a deal with AT&T- leading internet t1 service provider.

AT&T and IBEW reach an agreement

The contract that was set to expire on June 23rd will now be extended for one year. As a result, all employees will receive a 1% bump in their salary along with a $500 bonus for those making less than $50k/year, and a $300 for those making more than $50k/year.

However, while this progress is good news for some, there is a lot more work left to do. Although they were unable to reach an agreement with AT&T before their contracts expired in April, negotiations for the nearly 40,000 wireline workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the IBEW in other areas of the country are still on-going. In the meantime, workers have managed to stay off the picket lines, and are still covered under the terms of their now-expired contract.

Wireline workers across the U.S. have been hit hard lately. Major carriers, including Verizon and AT&T, want to impose a number of pension cuts and increased health-care premiums for employees, alleging they are necessary in order to remain competitive and keep costs in check in the weakening wireline industry. According to AT&T, "wireline CWA employees currently pay about 60% less for health care than union employees in other areas of our business, AT&T managers, and the national average."

The unions, however, believe that corporate greed is the true driving force behind the cuts. A recent updated noted that the "fight" will no longer be limited to the workplace; the union vows that it will go public, and will make it known that, "AT&T, one of the most profitable companies in America, is taking the LOW road and trying to destroy middle class jobs."

In their case with Verizon, the CWA is quick to call attention to the fact that within the last five years Verizon raked in almost $20 billion in profits, and paid out more than $250 million to its top five executives.

Image Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

by: Anna Lidman

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