Tentative Agreement Reached for 5,000 at AT&T Internet Services

July 22, 2010

CWAs ATT Internet bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with AT&T Internet Services covering 5,000 workers in Districts 3, 4, 6 and 9. The agreement, reached July 21, improves pay and benefits, strengthens the grievance and arbitration process, and provides Internet workers with the same transfer and bidding rights as other AT&T workers have.

Under the proposed three-year agreement, some 4,000 Customer Assistants, the largest work group at ATT Internet, will be covered by a new quarterly cash award plan. Awards will range from $100-$500 per quarter for CAs with less than two years seniority, to $150-$700 per quarter for CAs with more than two years service. Based on seniority, annual potential awards would total $2,000 or $2,800.

Awards take effect when workers meet a minimum of two of five attainable standards, unlike some industry plans with unreasonable and unreachable standards. CAs will also receive a $300 lump sum in 2011 and a 2 percent wage increase in 2012.

Customer Assistants also won full participation in the Success Sharing Plan and now are eligible for tuition aid. They had been excluded from these benefits before.

Tier II workers will receive annual wage increases of 2.75 percent, 2.25 percent and 2.5 percent over the contract term.

To offset some health care cost increases for Tier II workers, AT&T Internet will phase in those costs over three years and provide Tier II workers with an additional $1,200 payment at ratification.

A $500 ratification bonus will be paid to all Tier I and Tier II workers if the agreement is ratified by August 20.

The bargaining team unanimously recommended ratification of the agreement. This tentative agreement shows the value of having a union during the worst of times, said Executive Vice President Annie Hill, who heads CWAs Telecom office. We were able to make economic gains for all ATTIS workers, thanks to members strong support for their bargaining committee.

A final bargaining report will be presented to Local Presidents at the CWA convention next week, and contract explanation meetings will be held by Locals, followed by membership ratification.