You can go to www.IRS.gov for more details on when you will be receiving yours.

The local union leadership had a conference call with the bargaining committee chair Richard.

This conference call took place on April 24^th. The highlights are listed below

1. Verified those members on approved leave received the ratification bonus.
2. Discuss the 142 members in Tulsa affected by the wage dispute.
3. Discuss process and update on the dispute.

Union’s position stands: The company presented the union with a document that said 38.50 a week increase for those at the top of the scale.

 Company’s stand: Union did negotiate 2.5% more on the ratification bonus. Still there is a lot of money put into the 4 yr contract and a total of 19% upgrade. 9.400 employees are bargained in district 6.

Final meeting between the company and union took place on May 5^th. Arbitration may be an 8 to 9 month process a Richard has agreed to keep mobility involved in the timeline and to give us an update as often as possible. It was clearly stated to him by Vice President Bernice Jones if he does not follow though we will have every member personally call him to find out what’s going on.

Please go to http://cwa-union.org/survey/att-heathcare.html by May 9th to have a voice in the negotiations. This survey will help identify what is important to the membership.

Let's give a big welcome to the newest members of our local.  On friday, we grew by 47 Premise Technicians.  Growing in Strength........Growing in Unity

We are less than one year away from the end of our contract with AT&T.  No one knows what the future holds or what the company may try to take away.  Let's start sending a message to them now to show Solidarity.  A few simple things can make a difference.  Wearing a RED Tshirt on thursdays is noticed by management just as NOT wearing one is noticed.  We need to Be United   for any developement that comes our way.

                              Be Strong &

                              Be Prepared

AT&T Mobility Healthcare

  In mid June the CWA will start talks with AT&T Mobility about the new Healthcare Benefit package that will take effect on January 1st, 2009. There will be a vote on this sometime in July or August. This will be done by mail. This will be a nationwide vote and it is very important that all CWA Mobility members take part. With this said if you need to update your address with the union or you are not sure what address we have, please call the Union Hall at 665-6012.

CWA: AT&T Already Has Blue Print for Keeping Quality Workforce in United States

March 31, 2008

Contact: Jeff Miller or Candice Johnson, CWA Communications, 202-434-1168, jmiller@cwa-union.org and cjohnson@cwa-union.org

Following is a statement from the Communications Workers of America in response to recent comments by AT&T chief executive officer Randall Stephenson: 

Washington, D.C. -- We're glad to hear that AT&T and its chief executive officer Randall Stephenson are concerned about hiring quality employees and maintaining quality jobs. We also know that AT&T already has a model to produce that quality workforce – the union-negotiated quality wages, benefits and retirement security that have created one of the most productive workforces in the world, along with real skills training to meet the challenges of constantly changing technology.

Working men and women know that a quality job means a decent standard of living, thriving communities and the opportunities that families hope to provide their children. That's good not only for families and communities, but for employers too. And AT&T knows that.

At AT&T and companies like it, CWA contracts have resulted in high productivity and customer value. They have created professional customer service, a real competitive edge in today's global economy. Instead of pursing a "race to the bottom" strategy, AT&T, working with CWA, has made a real investment in a quality workforce. And by bringing jobs back to the U.S., AT&T has acknowledged the value of that workforce and that investment.

We are confident that by taking the "high road" approach to a quality workforce, AT&T will attract more than enough qualified employees to bring back jobs from around the world.

We hope that AT&T will work with us to raise employee wages and benefits as we negotiate future contracts. That, along with union-negotiated education and training programs, whether for Cisco certifications or technical training, are what ensures that employers like AT&T can hire the workers it needs.

Finally, it is critical that AT&T keep its important commitment to bring the remainder of the 5,000 jobs back to the United States. Our nation’s current trade deficit of $750 billion simply is unsustainable, and the fastest growing segment of that deficit is due to service jobs being moved offshore. We hope that more companies realize that it takes a quality workforce to provide quality service and we expect to see even more jobs returning to the U.S.