Bargaining resumed today with the Company in what is being categorized as a day of utter disgust.

The CWA bargaining team for the Orange contract resumed their work today in Washington, D.C., in preparation for resuming contract negotiations tomorrow with company representatives.

Good news! Contract negotiations with Mobility will resume later this week.

AT&T’s executives have asked us to consider the economic realities when evaluating their proposed agreement. Let’s take a look at the economic realities of the executives’ just-released 2008 compensation: AT&T’s top 5 executives were rewarded a total of $33.5 million dollars last year.

Your Bargaining Committee and the Company met today in formal session. The Union presented an overview of proposals that included wages, pensions, job security, benefits and working conditions.  The Company shared a sales/marketing type of presentation regarding consumer driven health care, showing our benefit costs compared to non-union and other large companies. The Company’s stated objective to “reduce costs” and to change behavior by moving toward a “balanced” plan. “Balanced” meaning if the employee “consumer” had to pay more for services they may not utilize them; presumably because it was a wiser “consumer” choice. We believe that any time and especially in these economic times, the “consumer” will be forced to forego needed health services to make ends meet. One good feature of the company’s presentation is that preventative care would be paid at 100%.

Mobilize, Mobilize, Mobilize
IN UNITY,

Art Gonzalez

Tom Runnion

William B. Harvey

Lupe Mercado

Bill Demers

Pam Suniga