AT&T Reaches Deal With Fed-Up Workers In Jersey, 35 Other States

It’s taken almost a year of hard bargaining and a massive, three-day strike, but AT&T and more than 20,000 of its workers have reached a “groundbreaking” contract agreement that will help to set new industry standards for pay rates and job security, union leaders report.

AT&T and members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) came to terms on a tentative, four-year contract during a bargaining session on Wednesday. The deal with AT&T Mobility covers wireless retail, call center, and tech workers in 36 states and the District of Columbia, including more than 1,000 employees in New Jersey.

Union members still need to ratify the contract, which is expected to take place by Jan. 12, CWA representatives said.

The proposed contract would help to raise the bar for pay and job security in the industry, CWA leaders stated. For example, AT&T Mobility retail workers will earn an average hourly wage of $19.20, about 74% more than the national average pay for retail workers.

In addition, AT&T will be required to find new jobs for workers when retail stores or call centers are closed, a job protection that “no wireless worker in the country has,” the CWA stated.

“If you took part in mobilization activities, walked a strike line, wore a button or a sticker, passed out flyers, or called your managers demanding a fair contract - this is your victory,” CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor wrote.

Read the union’s full summary of the agreement here.

According to AT&T representatives, the offer includes wage and pension increases, as well as “comprehensive” healthcare benefits. Virtually all employees covered by the offer would see a “positive financial impact,” the company claims.

“We strive in all of our contract negotiations to reach fair deals that will allow us to continue to provide solid union-represented jobs with excellent wages and benefits, and we believe that’s the case here,” said Marty Richter, a spokesperson with AT&T Corporate Communications.

“We’re the country’s largest employer of full-time union labor, and the only major wireless company with a unionized workforce,” Richter told Patch. “Including this agreement, we’ve now reached 32 different labor agreements since 2015, covering about 165,000 employees.”

If the CWA members ratify the proposed deal, it will resolve the last of the company’s open contracts, Richter said.

Other highlights of the proposed deal include:

• A 10.1% pay increase (retroactive wage increases back to Feb. 12, 2017, and a $1,000 lump sum, if the agreement is ratified by Jan. 12, 2018)
• A guaranteed 80% increase in the volume of customer service calls handled exclusively by AT&T Mobility CWA members
• A greater ability to use sick days without risk of discipline
• Limits on monitoring and surveillance of retail and call center workers
• Safety equipment for warehouse workers

The proposed contract comes after 11 months of negotiations and public disputes between the company and its workers. In May, thousands of CWA members held a three-day strike to protest stagnating contract talks. Rallies were held at several locations in New Jersey, including East Brunswick, Toms River and Oakhurst.

At the time, the company downplayed possible negative effects of the three-day work stoppage. An AT&T spokesperson said that the strike involved less than 14 percent of AT&T's total employees.

"Our network is among the most technologically sophisticated in the world, allowing us enormous flexibility in operations," the spokesperson said.

• See related article: New Jersey AT&T Workers Join Massive Weekend Strike

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File Photo: CWA rally in Hoboken, NJ (Jenelle Blackmon)