Brothers & Sisters,
I am pleased to announce that we have reached tentative agreements with AT&T Southeast, Utility Operations, & AT&T Billing. I would like to congratulate our bargaining team for their success at the bargaining table. As you know, this round of negotiations was very challenging and it took all of you standing together in unity, on picket lines across the District to force the company to actually bargain with us.
Please see the attached bargaining highlights. Tomorrow we will be sending out additional details on the tentative agreements. In summary, this agreement will provide us a five (5) year contract, a 13.25% wage increase, increased job security for Core employees, improvements to monitoring language for call center employees, seniority protections and other upgrades for Wire Technicians.
Once again, I would like to thank all of you for what you have sacrificed and for making it possible for us to reach an agreement. I have never been more proud of being a CWA member than I have been over these last few days.
Richard Honeycutt
CWA District 3 Vice President
CWA District 3 – AT&T Southeast
2019 Tentative Agreement Highlights
August 29, 2019
Wages:
· 5 year agreement
· 3%, 3%, 2.25%, 2.25%, and 2.75% increase for all employees.
2019 increase effective on Ratification Date.
Benefits:
· Maintained a 29% cost-share on healthcare for the life of the agreement
· Added a Company vendor-sponsored Health Savings Account, with contributions through payroll deductions
· Added an additional step to the Bellsouth Savings & Security Plan (401k)
· 1% pension increase each year of the agreement
BST:
· Stopped Company proposals on:
o Eliminating Article 14
o Eliminating the panel process
o Capping illness days for employees with over 25 years of service
o Mandatory stand-by
o Eliminating pay protections for employees moved into the NA-UFO as a result
of surplus
o Requiring employees moved into the NA-UFO as a result of surplus to
perform their core job duties
o Increasing Wire Technician scope of work
o Eliminating termination pay
o Increase double-time threshold
o Reducing relocation pay
· Items agreed to:
o Improvements in Partnership options
o Improvements in Service Observing language
o Guarantee of additional jobs in Consumer
o Surplus by seniority for NA-UFO employees
o Pooling of ST/OPT/DT/FT for bumping in a surplus
o Expanded SIPP offers in a surplus
o Defined surplus process for dedicated Systems Technicians
o No receipts for meals for employees in the NA-UFO
o Improved guaranteed personal day off language for NA-UFO
o Renewed DTV MOA
o Added core Military Service language to the NA-UFO
o Increased layoff allowance for NA-UFO employees
o Language to address disciplinary entries for NA-UFO employees
Billing:
o Expanded SIPP to BST in a surplus
Utility Operations:
o Increased boot allowance
o Option for 30 minute lunch
o Adding carry-over of vacation
o Improved Short Term Disability
o Added Long Term Disability