TWO CWA UNIONS, TWO DIFFERENT AT&T DEALS – A new AT&T union contract for CWA workers in the West grants a 15% pay increase over the contract term, while in the Southeast, workers received a more substantial 19% raise, a 27% higher increase. Despite California’s cost of living being over 50% higher than Tennessee’s, no explanation for this pay disparity has been provided. Additionally, Southeast workers are set to receive a 3% bonus for working on BEAD projects, a benefit not extended to workers in California and Nevada.
AT&T workers, including technicians, customer service representatives, and others who install, maintain, and support AT&T’s network, will receive wage increases of at least 15% throughout the new four-year collective bargaining agreement in the West and over 19% during the new five-year agreement in the Southeast. In the contract that covers the Southeast, Wire Technicians and Utility Operations professionals, who will be essential to fulfilling the nationwide broadband buildout underway as part of President Biden’s Infrastructure bill, will receive an additional 3% wage boost.
The contracts covering AT&T Southeast and AT&T West include significant improvements to overtime and scheduling practices, addressing a key concern of technicians installing and troubleshooting AT&T fiber networks in homes and businesses. These technicians often cited unreasonable expectations for the time needed to complete work assignments, too many assignments being added to their queue through the day, and overscheduling of weekend shifts—all of which contributed not only to their own diminishing work-life balance but also to the level and quality of customer service they are able to provide AT&T customers.
“Our members were clear from the start: every CWA member at AT&T has value and no one should be treated like a second-class employee. These new contracts provide our members with family-supporting wages and benefits, and address longstanding concerns about overtime and overscheduling which not only kept them away from their families and unable to plan their own lives, it negatively affected the quality of service our members want to deliver,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr.
“In August, 17,000 members embarked on the longest telecom strike in the history of the Southeast and the largest in the county at the time, because they knew if they stood together and held their ground, AT&T would have no choice but to send negotiators to the table who could bargain a fair contract. Our unity across our union made these monumental contracts possible. Now, over 25,000 AT&T workers across 11 states have a strong contract that reflects their value and will undoubtedly help them keep our communities better connected,” Cummings said in a press statement.
CWA members across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee walked off the job on August 16 after they alleged AT&T refused to engage in good faith bargaining and failed to send negotiators who had the authority to make decisions to the table.
During the month-long strike, AT&T suffered operational and financial strain without essential customer service representatives and AT&T installation and maintenance technicians on deck, resulting in the company having diminished capacity to handle outages and repairs, CWA claims. They said the blow forced the company to reach a fair tentative agreement with its thousands of workers, building upon the labor momentum currently sweeping the South.
“For 30 days, our members stood up and made sacrifices to fight for the fair contract they deserve. Because of our members’ solidarity and tenacity, AT&T workers now have the support they need to make AT&T a leader in closing our nation’s digital divide,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt.”
“Across these nine states, billions of dollars in federal funds will be rolling in to support a massive broadband rollout, and this contract ensures that both customers and workers will be adequately supported as AT&T bids for and hopefully secures new projects stemming from that funding,” he said.
“With this new contract, our members are well-positioned to support their families with improved wages and schedules. They are also ready to get to work bringing high-speed broadband internet to homes and businesses throughout the region now that the Biden-Harris Administration has approved both California and Nevada’s ‘Internet for All’ proposals,” said CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce. “I’m happy to say AT&T West is celebrating with our brothers, sisters and siblings in the Southeast over our strong contracts.”
The AT&T Southeast contract covers approximately 17,000 workers across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The AT&T West contract covers approximately 8,500 workers in California and Nevada.