Posted last night at the company web site https://about.att.com/pages/bargaining
Letter to employees: An update on the Southeast work stoppage and contract negotiations
We continue to negotiate in good faith with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in the Southeast as we have from day 1. We brought in a federal mediator because we have always been ready to make progress, contrary to false accusations. Despite our sincere actions, negotiations have made little progress, which is much less than we want for both our employees and customers. Unfortunately, the work stoppage is still ongoing after 14 days, with no confirmed end date at this time.
We intend to meet with the union over the weekend, with senior company representatives committed to working tirelessly to reach an agreement as quickly as possible. You should know that the CWA’s allegations of unfair labor practices have no basis in fact.
As we’ve shared, our goal is to reach fair and competitive agreements that recognize the hard work our employees do to serve our customers, with market-based pay and benefits tied to cost of living and projected inflation data. This is true for all employees, management and non-management alike.
We are proud that the company has reached 14 labor agreements since 2022, 3 this year alone, including a tentative agreement in the West, all providing impressive wages and benefits that support our employees’ total well-being. We are committed to working to get to a deal in the Southeast so that our employees can focus on what they do best - serving customers. But given the current competitive markets where we operate, we cannot sustain the business for all employees by agreeing to demands that are disconnected from market and competitive realities.
In the meantime, we will stay prepared for all contingencies to provide the great service our customers expect. Given the lack of progress, we will be working to provide some needed rest and further bolster our temporary workforce in the interest of our customers.