CWA TELLS RANK AND FILE AND PUBLIC MUCH OF WHAT'S ON TABLE IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

The email below came to us from the Communications Workers of America. Please sign their petition for a good contract at AT&T Midwest. CWA workers are involved in a contract dispute with AT&T management. Workers have voted to authorize a strike. 

This is yet another union that is not afraid to tell its members and the public basically what is on the table in contract negotiations. 

In contrast, the UFT negotiating committee members sign a confidentiality statement. Having served on the negotiating committee twice, I think the UFT wants the Cone of Silence in part because they are afraid that the members would not be happy to learn how little we actually demand in contract negotiations and then how we concede on issues so easily.

I can only guess, as I have no inside information, but I very much doubt the UFT is asking for seniority transfers, placing Absent Teacher Reserves in schools of their choice or the ability for members to grieve the fairness and accuracy of file letters.

On the other hand, I can also make an educated guess, based on the astroturf organizations writing articles in the papers, that DOE is demanding a time limit for how long a teacher can stay as an ATR before they are terminated. That would basically kill the union if we agreed to it.

For the guy who says he wants two observations per year on every comment, I predict the UFT will ask for it but DOE will want a pound and a half of flesh for it. We have virtually zero leverage since we have done no preparation to mobilize if necessary.

Maxwell Smart and the Chief under the Cone of Silence in Get Smart TV Show

James,

We’re three AT&T workers about to embark on an epic road trip from Detroit, MI to AT&T headquarters in Dallas, TX to save jobs and win fair union contracts for 14,000 workers across the country.

We’re hitting the road because AT&T broke its promise to working families. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson promised to deliver thousands of new jobs if the company got a tax cut. Well, AT&T got a $20 billion windfall but that didn’t stop them from laying off over a thousand workers across the country in the past few months.

That’s why we’re calling our trip the Broken Promises Tour and we’ll meet workers along the way whose communities have been devastated by AT&T’s job cuts.

Want to be a part of the Broken Promises Tour? If you haven't already, please sign our petition demanding AT&T follow through on their jobs promises and we’ll deliver your signatures along with tens-of-thousands of others when we reach AT&T HQ in Dallas.

Throughout our trip, we’ll meet with other workers to share their stories about the impact AT&T's job cuts have had on their families and communities. We’ll stop at closed AT&T call centers and other workplaces where working people are struggling to save jobs. The trip kicks off from Detroit on Monday and you can follow our journey at ATTBrokenPromises.org

AT&T workers like us across the country are fighting back for fair union contracts that guarantee good jobs, affordable healthcare, and a secure retirement. We won’t just sit back while greedy corporations like AT&T make billions off our backs and destroy our jobs. I hope you’ll stand with us and sign the petition if you haven’t yet: GoodJobsATT.org