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As of midnight on Saturday, April 7th,
we’re working without a contract. Because we didn’t reach agreement with the company by the time the
contract expired, we are now working without a contract. However, the current contract provisions are still in effect.
There will be no changes to your wages, benefits, or working conditions. What happens now? Negotiations will continue. As long as we are on the job: • You will still earn a paycheck. • All benefits, including
health care and pension, will remain in effect. • All terms and conditions
of employment continue until there is a new agreement or the parties have reached “impasse.” • You have
the right to participate in “concerted activity,” including mobilization activities. Our strength in bargaining
comes from a highly visible mobilization. If our efforts to get a fair agreement that provides for jobs today and for the
future are not successful at the bargaining table, we will do whatever is necessary to protect our livelihoods. We urge everyone to maintain a state of readiness and continue to mobilize until an agreement is reached.
Your power is what drives progress at the table. The union bargainers and the company feel your presence. We have come a long
way together. We have more to do and we will do it! Working
Without a Contract What we are fighting for: • Improving our employment security contract provisions and job guarantees. • Making
sure that every member is better off at the end of the contract than the beginning, when wages, benefits, etc. are all added
up. • Improving rights and conditions for all employees, but especially those who are covered by appendixes
of the contract with lesser rights. • Fighting for a secure retirement. This means both pension improvements
and secure health care for current workers and retirees. • Reducing subcontracting, outsourcing and offshoring of union
jobs. • Improving our union’s ability to deal with unfair attendance and performance policies. What should members do during this time?
Because of the contract fight, tensions
are high. Take no chances—you don’t want to be disciplined by stressed-out management. It’s important that
each of us remember to: • Take no shortcuts. • Follow all company policies
and rules to the letter. • Never go by memory, check
your reference material. • Never use your own judgment—ask!
• Obey all safety rules to the letter.
Fighting
for the American Dream Communications Workers of America —
www.cwaatatt.com ******************************
CWA District 9 AT&T West Bargaining Bulletin #27
Saturday Midnight April 7th, 2012We have met with the Company
all day in full bargaining sessions and sub-committee meetings in an effort to reach a Tentative Agreement prior to expiration.
We did not reach a tentative agreement tonight. The Company's offer is too little too late.
The Union made a series
of proposals that would address many of the major issues of concern to our members. Wages, Pensions, Health Care, Employment
Security, Successorship language and many other outstanding items are still yet to be resolved.
We will not be extending
the contract and have the ability to strike at any time, but for now we will continue to work.
Our negotiations are
recessed until tomorrow afternoon. Vice President Weitkamp posted the following comments tonight: "Despite
the hard work of your committee over the past weeks, we will not reach an agreement tonight. We are still far apart on most
major issues, and I suspect for the company this is more about right wing ideology than it is about dollars. It certainly
isn't about justice and fair play and it is near impossible to negotiate in a vacuum of good faith. We
will not extend and we will, for the time being, return to work tomorrow without a contract. Mobilization has to rise to a
new level of confrontation and resistance so that the bully boys in Dallas start to realize the value of labor peace. You'll
get a more detailed bulletin from the committee in the morning. I've sent them to get some rest as we enter the next phase
of this fight. We will continue to bargain tomorrow. Please use the time you have this Easter Sunday to talk with your local
leaders and mobilizers to make sure our members start letting the company know exactly what they have done to trust, morale
and motivation with their disrespect to the work force. This is born of greed, pure and simple and the continuing war on the
working class by corporations in this country. As the fight expands into the next phase, what
I told you this morning about linking up with others that will stand with us through the 99% Spring movement has to spring
to life". Mobilization Phase 3- Strike Standby will begin. We will share more detailed information
about the unresolved issues and review our strategy. While we made the decision not to strike at this time and report to work
as scheduled, it will not be business as usual! We are in the fight of our lives. Management needs to see the difference between
last week and this week. Keep up the Fight! Fighting for the American Dream! In Unity, Your Bargaining Team
WE ARE NOT ON STRIKE...for now.
We will continue to work under the terms of our expired West contract, as will
the East, Midwest and Legacy T. Everything remains the same (wages, hours, working conditions, etc.) with the exception of
arbitration.
However, a strike can be called at ANY TIME from this point forward for all four (4) expired AT&T Core
contracts, here in the West and across the country.
Your Bargaining Committees will continue to negotiate in the meantime.
As soon as we have more information, we will let you know. You can continue to check here and on our FaceBook page for details.
In Solidarity, The officers
of CWA Local 9417 *************************************
Apr 08, 2012Continue to Report
to Work From CWA District 9 Vice President Jim Weitkamp
Just before
midnight, April 7, 2012 Brothers and sisters: Our contract with AT&T West will expire in just a few minutes. At this time, we still have many issues
unresolved. We have made some progress but we have a lot of ground yet
to cover to get the contract CWA members deserve from the company we've made so successful. As of midnight tonight, we will be working without a contract. At this time, CWA members at AT&T West
will continue to work, though that can change at any time. We're keeping our options open as we focus on reaching an agreement
that maintains our standard of living. Working without a contract means
that the terms of our contract will remain in effect. Wages, working conditions and benefits like health care will continue
unchanged, with the exception of arbitration for grievances. Mobilizers and locals have more information on exactly what it
means to work without a contract, so be sure to check in with your local and check out www.cwaatatt.com. We are keeping our option to strike at hand. AT&T is a very successful company, posting
profits of $20 billion last year. We need to continue to bargain hard and
all CWA members in D9 need to stand tough, to support our bargaining team and make sure the company knows we mean business.
There are mobilization actions and events starting tomorrow throughout our District. We have plans for inside actions as well
as public events. But we need every CWA member and retiree to stand up and be a part of this fight to hold on to the American
Dream. And we must be a part of the 99% Spring trainings that will be held
in every state the week of April 9-15. We must share our fight at AT&T with other 99% Spring activists participating in
our communities and make the fight to keep our standard of living a part of 99% Spring actions. That way, more than 100,000
99 % Spring participants will be taking on our fight, just as we'll stand strong for theirs. Together, our voices will be
heard. Trainings will be held at these locations. http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/99_spring_training_locations What happens in these negotiations affects all of us. And only by standing together will we
succeed in keeping our standard of living. At the end of the day, when
this round of negotiations is finished, we will have achieved our goal that when the entire package is added up, including
wages, health care and other benefits, and all other improvements, every single member, from the lowest paid to the highest,
will be better off at the end of the contract than they were at the beginning. Solidarity,
Jim Weitkamp ********************************
Want Texts? CWA District 9 Text Message
Bargaining Updates To join: Text D9ATT to 69866 ********************************
BARGAINING CONTINUES see
our FACEBOOK page for BARGAINING UPDATES https://www.facebook.com/cwa9417 SUPPORT
YOUR BARGAINING COMMITTEE WEAR A RED SHIRT ON THURSDAYS TOP
10 REASONS TO TAKE ACTION
10. To show our children we really can change the world, or at least
our part of it. 9. To remind corporations
and elected officials that ordinary people do make a difference. 8. Because it's my contract and my standard of living. 7. Because it's my Medicare and my Social Security. 6. Because it's my country too. 5. To build a movement to preserve democracy. 4. To keep good jobs in my community. 3. To get corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share. 2. Because nothing changes if I sit at home. 1. Because they can't ignore all of us.
Find something that matters to you and DO IT!
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| Yokuts Ave. Rally 05-06-09 |
Unionism and activism are still more important than ever. As I'm sure you are all aware, Unions are under attack by extreme right wing factions, that
are being financed by Corporations and the very wealthy. The public sector workers throughout the United States have become
the target for the further demise of the middle class in America. Somehow the right wing has been able to convince a
great deal of the population that Teachers, Nurses, Firefighters, Police Officers and other public workers are the enemy and
taking away their rights to collective bargaining is OK. WELL IT'S NOT OK! That is why,
we need to show our support and stand with our brothers and sisters in the public sector and demand, that these self
serving politicians,
STOP THE WAR ON WORKERS! WE NEED TO LET OUR VOICES BE
HEARD!
LET’S
STAND UNITED AND STAND STRONG- SHOULDER TO
SHOULDER!
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