Questions and Answers
Please note: While all questions are reviewed, only representative Q&A will be posted
on the Web site. Specific questions cannot be addressed in this forum.
Questions and answers added April 4, 2009
Q: Will we be able to keep lump sum pension? – LS; Little Rock, Ark.
A: The availability of the current lump sum pension benefit is one of the benefit
issues being negotiated at the bargaining table.
Q: I have heard from several unofficial sources that there is a 14-day
"cooling off" period in which the union employees may not call a strike. Is
that accurate? If so, does that mean the first day of a potential strike would
be April 19, rather than April 5? – DM; St. Louis, Mo.
A: No. The union may call a strike at any time after the expiration of the current
agreements.
Questions and answers added April 1, 2009
Q: If the company really wants to save money, how about doing away with
the cost of monitoring with GPS?
A: The Company is constantly evaluating ways to control costs. GPS is a way to
help our employees be more efficient, and in turn, this technology helps save
money.
Q: There is a 30-day intent to strike clause in the current contract. Has this
intent been given by the union? If no, will notification of this intent be
communicated if and when it is exercised?
A: Currently, there is no such commitment by the union to give any notice of any
intent to strike. In the event of a work stoppage or other significant bargaining
event, the Core Bargaining Web site (www.att.com/corebargaining) will be
updated.
Questions and answers added March 30, 2009
Q: If the CWA does decide to strike due to no contract negotiated by April
4, does the inclusion of CWA District 3 mean that it would also strike as
well on the same date? – GF; Tallahassee, Fla.
A: While an agreement with District 3 was reached to bargain at the same time
as the rest of the Core contracts, they remain under the provisions of the
agreement in effect until August 2009 – which does not allow them to strike prior
to the expiration of the current agreement.
Q: Will employees that retire in 2009 have an option between their old
contract or the new contract if they retire prior to December 31, 2009? –
JP; Tucker, Ga.
A: Once the collective bargaining agreement is ratified, it takes effect for all
employees covered by the agreement. If you retire prior to ratification, you would
be covered under the old contract.
Questions and answers added March 25, 2009
Q: Will our new contract mirror Verizon’s contract? – CM; Escanaba, Mich.
A: No, each contract stands alone based on the specific circumstances,
economic situation and priorities for each party. Verizon has chosen to exclude
the union from wireless, which is one of the highest growth areas in
telecommunications. Verizon's enterprise business operations are largely
non-union as well. AT&T has embraced union representation in growth areas by
partnering with the unions on agreements that allow for new jobs in competitive
areas with competitive wage and health care packages. The competitive
landscape that the company finds itself in – complicated by the economy’s
dramatic turn for the worse – has affected our wireline business, productivity and
profits. Click here for more information.
Q: From what I've heard, AT&T wants their employees to pay $200 a month
for our insurance and that would have a $1,500 deductible. Is this true? –
CM; Tustin, Calif.
A: We have no such plan with these combinations. AT&T stands by its
commitment to offer generous medical care subsidies to its employees. The
proposals we are presenting at the bargaining table are in line with recent CWA
labor agreements with other bargaining units. We believe what we are offering is
very fair and reasonable, and remains among the most generous in the U.S.
Questions and answers added March 23, 2009
Q: What are the lengths of the contracts that are being re-negotiated? –
MS; Alpharetta, Ga.
A: The terms of the currently negotiated labor agreements are in effect for five
years. The duration of the new agreements will be determined at the bargaining
table.
Q: If the company really wants to save money, how about doing away with
the cost of monitoring with GPS?
A: The Company is constantly evaluating ways to control costs. GPS is a way to
help our employees be more efficient, and in turn, this technology helps save
money.
Questions and answers added March 20, 2009
Q: What happens to our medical coverage if there is a work stoppage?
A: It is premature to discuss employee’s continued benefits in the event of a
work stoppage.
Q: Are U-Verse employees, specifically Premise Technicians, included in
the AT&T Core Contract?
A: Premise technicians are included in the current negotiations.
Questions and answers added March 18, 2009
Q: What is the total number of employees covered by the Core wireline
contract – for the East, West, Southwest, Midwest and Legacy T? – SH;
Dallas, Texas
A: The contracts affect about 110,000 Core (wireline) employees from across
the country, from all of the CWA-represented legacy companies that make up
AT&T. Under a special agreement between the union and the company, this
also includes the labor agreement for employees in CWA District 3, the former
BellSouth area, even though that agreement does not expire until August.
Q: Why does the bargaining committee feel it necessary to keep
negotiations so secret? – RH; Holland, Mich.
A: Focusing on negotiations at the bargaining table shows a respect for the
process and, in our experience, it is there where solutions are found. Any
agreements reached at the bargaining table will be presented to the union
membership in full – and as appropriate, the Company will provide updates at
www.att.com/corebargaining.
Questions and answers added March 17, 2009
Q: How often will the [Core] bargaining Web site be updated? – TM;
Richardson, Texas
A: AT&T will update this Web site regularly and visitors are encouraged to check
the site periodically for current information on the status of negotiations. This may
not necessarily be on a daily basis, but will be done as frequently as
developments warrant.
Q: What is the difference between a work stoppage and a lock out? – SM;
Hayward, Calif.
A: There are different types of work stoppages. A lock out is a managementdirected work stoppage, as compared with a strike – which is a union-directed
work stoppage.
Questions and answers added March 12, 2009
Q: Where can I view the standing contract for SBC that includes AT&T
Advertising Solutions? – AS; Charlotte, N.C.
A: Accessible from the AT&T network only, all Advertising & Publishing labor
agreements can be viewed here.
Questions and answers added March 10, 2009
Q: Will the CWA bargaining set the mood for IBEW? – PJ; Chicago, Ill.
A: The IBEW labor agreement is a separate agreement, as are the bargaining
processes for that agreement.
Q: Will there be specific language in the new contract to include term
employees? – EC; Charlotte, N.C.
A: Term and temporary employees covered by the CWA Core labor agreements
are part of collective bargaining agreement and may be discussed in these
negotiations.
Questions and answers added March 8, 2009
Q: If AT&T Mobility is driving growth, how come they can't get a fair
contract? – various employees; no location given
A: On Tuesday, March 3, bargaining teams for the company and the
Communications Workers of America reached a tentative agreement on a
collective bargaining agreement covering employees working under the Mobility
Orange contract. Terms of that agreement have been released by the CWA and
we have updated www.att.com/mobilityorange with a summary of the deal and a
wage calculator based on the tentative agreement. This is a fair contract — both
in terms of the compensation and workplace opportunities it provides the covered
employees, and in the flexibility it allows the company to meet the increasingly
aggressive competition and challenging economic times we are seeing in the
marketplace today.
Q: Is it possible to extend the current contract? – AL; Bedminister, N.J.
A: We are working diligently AND FULLY EXPECT To reach an on-time
agreement FOR all Core labor agreements.
Questions and answers added March 5, 2009
Q: If AT&T is looking to shift health care costs to our retirees, how can you
justify $33.5 million in compensation to your top five execs, who also have
extremely generous pension benefits and free lifetime health care? –
various employees; no location given
A: AT&T provides competitive compensation and benefits, including health care
coverage, at all levels. No active manager at AT&T has free lifetime health care.
All managers from the CEO on down, make significant and similar contributions
toward their health care coverage.
Q: Do you actually answer any questions? – AM; Austin, Texas
A: Every question submitted to the AT&T Core Bargaining Web site is reviewed
and representative questions are selected for posting. Some questions are not
appropriate for response at this time since we are currently in negotiations.
Questions and answers added March 4, 2009
Q: If a non-employee acquaintance asks me questions about these
negotiations, does AT&T have a public webpage that I can direct them to
for information? – DH; Hoover, Ala.
A: This Web site – www.att.com/corebargaining – is a public Web site. It is
accessible from any computer or device with Internet access and is available to
any interested parties, including all employees, management and nonmanagement.
Q: Under the special agreement, is Legacy BellSouth contract also
expiring on April 4, 2009? Will we be obligated under the same terms of any
new contract? Will we be able to vote to ratify the new contract? – PS;
Montgomery, Ala.
A: The Legacy BellSouth contract covers the Southeast region, or District 3.
While an agreement was reached to bargain at the same time as the rest of the
Core contracts, the District 3 contract does not expire until August 2009. The
Southeast region will be given the opportunity to ratify the new contract and will
be covered by the terms of the new contract.
Questions and answers added March 3, 2009
Q: I was just curious as to why we wait so long to begin bargaining? We
only give ourselves about one month to negotiate, when it seems like we
could start earlier. – ST; Dallas, Texas
A: The start date for bargaining was mutually determined by AT&T and the
CWA.
Q: Why is health care a major issue? – GC; Atlanta, Ga.
A: Our main health care objective is to offer high-quality, cost-effective health
care coverage that is valued by our employees. AT&T subsidizes health
care coverage for more than 1.2 million people – active employees, retirees and
dependents – at an annual cost of $5.5 billion. These health care costs continue
to increase at a rate that outpaces inflation, and in fact health care costs have
doubled over the last 8 years. From a national perspective, Americans spent
$1.7 trillion for health care in 2007 – exceeding the nation spending for housing,
food or energy. In view of these numbers, it is not surprise that only 65 percent
of U.S. business now subsidize health care for their employees.
Questions and answers added March 2, 2009
Q: Is moving between regions going to be discussed? – IS; Indianapolis,
Ind.
A: In general, this contract addresses the full range of issues from wages,
benefits and pension to work rules. Work rules may include movement of
employees.
Q: Will we be able to see what AT&T is offering before a strike? – JH;
Dallas, Texas
A: It is our intent to keep you informed about developments at the bargaining
table.
Questions and answers added March 1, 2009
Q: What benefits do AT&T employees receive?
A: AT&T benefits are quite comprehensive, and include things like medical,
dental, vision, 401(k) and/or pension, life insurance, and much more.
Q: What is the current state of health care coverage for our union
workers? – SS; Bedminister, N.J.
A: AT&T non-management health care plans are among the most generous and
highly subsidized in the U.S., and richer than anything offered by our competition.
Questions and answers added February 27, 2009
Q: Will there be one contract for all of AT&T or three contracts – SBC,
BellSouth and Legacy AT&T? – RC; Atlanta, Ga.
Will these negotiations cover IBEW also? – JM; Hoffman Estates, Ill.
A: AT&T has more than 50 union contracts and the company is almost always
bargaining one or another of those. The negotiations that opened Feb. 24 are for
Core wireline employees represented by the CWA in the East, Southwest, West
and Midwest regions, as well as Legacy T Core contract employees across the
country; those contracts all expire on April 4, 2009. CWA Southeast also chose
to join in this bargaining, although that contract does not expire until Aug. 8,
2009; the Southeast employees would continue to be bound by the Aug. 8
expiration date. The IBEW contract covering about 10,000 employees in the
Midwest region does not expire until June 27, 2009, and will be bargained
separately. Core bargaining also does not include many other contracts such as
Internet, Video and Mobility which have distinct contracts and are also bargained
separately. There is no plan to combine any of the contracts.
Q: Is the bargaining between the CWA and AT&T Mobility separate from
the AT&T Core contract negotiations? – KR; San Ramon, Calif.
A: The Mobility Orange contract is a separate and distinct contract and the
bargaining processes are totally separate.
Q. What is the bargaining schedule?
A. Bargaining will open on Feb. 24, 2009, with the contract expiring at 11:59 p.m.
on April 4, 2009.
Q. Who is bargaining on behalf of the company?
A. As is customary, we have a team of Labor Relations professionals who are
bargaining on behalf of the company.
Q. How will you keep employees informed on the progress of negotiations?
A. With the beginning of bargaining, we are launching an Internet Web site
www.att.com/corebargaining that will provide updates on bargaining as
necessary. Note that this Web site is on the Internet so you can access it from
any computer.
Q. What areas and employees are affected by this bargaining?
A. This bargaining involves 110,000 Core (wireline) employees across the nation
from all of the union-represented legacy companies that make up AT&T.
Q. What sort of work do these employees do?
A. These employees are in wireline operations in both network and call center
roles.
Q. What are the issues?
A. This contract addresses the full range of issues from wages, benefits and
pension to work rules.