This page will be dedicated with updated information pertaining to the CWA-AT&T Southwest Contract Negotiations.

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April 10, 2025 – TENTATIVE AGREEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

At approximately 10pm on 4/9/2025, your CWA elected Bargaining Team reached a Tentative Agreement with AT&T Southwest for 4 years (subject to ratification) through April 14, 2029. Here are the highlights of the agreement:

Wages

5% pay increase to base wages for all Titles on May 11, 2025
3.25% pay increase to base wages for all Titles on May 10, 2026
3% pay increase to base wages for all Titles on May 9, 2027
3.25% pay increase to base wages for all Titles on May 7, 2028
$1000 ratification bonus (subject to ratification) paid within 30 days of ratification.
Eliminated wage steps 1-4 for Premise Techs & Group 1 Craft. This guarantees no employee is hired at less than $15 per hour.

Healthcare

Kept Healthcare Option 1 Select & Broad below 29% cost share
Added two new tiers besides Individual & Family (Individual + Spouse & Individual + Dependents)
Kept optional Option 2 Select & Broad with lower monthly premiums and higher deductibles
Option 2 – Added $1000 Healthcare Savings Account match for Individual & $2000 Healthcare Savings Account match for all other tiers for those who elect for Option 2
Eliminated higher monthly premiums for new hires (everyone is the same)
Added employee eligibility on day 1 for benefits (was previously 6 months)
Added new eligibility for all dependents till age 26 on Dental, Vision, and life insurance
Added participation into the Company’s Wellbeing Plan in which you can earn up to an additional $750 for individual or $1500 for individual plus spouse/legally recognized partner. (more details to come in explanation meeting but one example is you get $200 just for doing an annual physical)
Protected any employee who retires within the duration of the new collective bargaining agreement will pay the same premiums as an active employee thru 2029.

Pension & Savings Benefit Plans

1% Pension Band Increase (for those eligible) in 2026
1% Pension Band Increase (for those eligible) in 2027
1% Pension Band Increase (for those eligible) in 2028
1% Pension Band Increase (for those eligible) in 2029
Effective January 1, 2026 all employees in the AT&T Savings & Security Plan (approx 5000) will be moved to the AT&T Retirement Savings Plan. This provides optional increased contribution matches for even more money into the savings plan (more details to come at explanation meeting).
Continuation of Cash Balance #2 for those not on traditional pension

Job Security

Added MOA that expands Article XXV – Contract Work (Departmental Agreement) to include “Traditional Fiber Work” for the buildout, installation, and maintenance of fiber services.

Contract Improvements

Added MOA that makes 19 current Temporary Full Time (TFT’s) Cable Splicers permanent & in addition creates 19 New Full Time Group 1 Craft Job Requisitions (38 permanent jobs created). Also if future TFT positions are created, they will be open job reqs before hiring off the street.
Added new language if employee suffers a miscarriage will be excused with pay up to 3 days for the employee plus spouse/or legally recognized partner
Improvement on funeral time where it can be used 1 day past the day of the funeral
Removed $3000 cap on incentive plans for business units to provide opportunities for more money into employees pockets
Improved Per Diem in Core Contract by $3
Added Martin Luther King Day officially to the contract in all titles
Added language to improve scheduling carryover vacation and movement of such
Renewed annual Success Sharing Plan
Added 3% to both Voluntary & Involuntary severance payments (Voluntary had not been increased in at least the past 30 years)
Added MOA for Union Stewards & Staff to have worked hours count towards FMLA eligibility if they become ill
Added MOA for Union time to be paid for one Officer or their designee for representation and Company meetings no matter what AT&T Contract they are employed in
Appendix J
- Appendix J employees receive a 3% pay increase to all wage tables upon ratification prior to General Wage Increases
- Added Guarantee of 40 hour work week (was previously 32)
- Added 2 additional weeks of severance pay (previously capped at 6 weeks)
- Added language to cap mandatory OT at 12 hours (was previously 14)
- Added language introducing Double Time OT at 54 hours
- Added 10% Night Differential for all regular hours worked after 6pm to 6am
- Added language calculating Holidays (worked and excused), Sunday hours worked, and absence for Union Business (paid & unpaid) towards Overtime eligibility
- Changed time and title in all titles in Appendix J to 24 months (was previously 36 months)
- Raised relief differential to $10 (was previously $8)
- Raised per diem to $40 (was previously $37)
- Continued MOA that allowed Prem Techs to be upgraded to do CST work and pay protected and treated as if they were a CST (if we didn’t have MOA Company could upgrade anyways at only a 20% bump in pay)

In closing, we are happy to announce we fought off many demands to change eligibility for Sick Time, Differential Pay, and Removal of Disability Plan for employees hired before 2017 (this would have cut disability from 52 weeks to 26) just to name some of the attacks on our contract.

Your elected Bargaining Team drew a line in the sand on day 1 and made it real clear we aren’t here to make our members lives harder with less contractual protections. Your Mobilization as the members in the field and always having our backs made us achieve great success at the bargaining table with NO TAKE BACKS!

We will be doing an online full contract explanation meeting on Monday April 21, 2025 at 7pm (more details to come next week). The ratification vote will take place electronically from April 21 till May 5, 2025. If your Local does not have your email address, please make sure you get with them as soon as possible so you can get a ballot. And if you are a non-member reading this summary, what are you waiting for? SIGN UP! We are Stronger together, we are United, we are CWA!

In Solidarity,

April 9, 2025 – TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED – Bargaining Report #31

Sisters & Brothers,

It is with great pleasure and excitement we announce that CWA Bargaining Team has reached a FULL Tentative Agreement with AT&T Southwest!

We will push out a full detailed summary tomorrow; however, all employees in the bargaining unit will receive a 14.5% pay increase over the next four years with Appendix J employees getting an additional 3% at ratification before GWI kicks in.

Healthcare will be as low as 27% cost share for Option 1 employees and everyone will have the addition of two new tiers (Employee + Spouse, and Employee + Dependents).

We will be hosting an in person meeting next week with your Local’s Officers and full explanation online webinar on April 21st for all employees (more details to come in next few days).

Thank you to everyone for Mobilizing and pushing the Company to get us what we believe is a great contract we all can be proud of!

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

April 8, 2025 – Bargaining Report #30

The Union Bargaining team worked in our own Caucus today discussing the overall remaining items and what still needs to be TA’d.

The Union & Company chairs met this afternoon away from the table again to discuss all remaining open items and finding common ground to get us to a TA before expiration.

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Wednesday morning and a bargaining report will follow in the evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates. In addition, visit our website for CWA District 6 updates, resources, and ways you can take action! Stay in the loop and stay connected! Your support is crucial to the success of your future!

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

April 7, 2025 – Bargaining Report #29

The Union and the Company met twice today.

The Union Bargaining Team met with the Company late this morning. During this meeting, the Company passed a comprehensive benefits counter proposal in which they made several positive changes. One change we can share is all dependents will now have dental, vision, and life insurance eligibility extended until they are 26. Previously, unlike medical, they cut off at 25. We are still apart on cost share on option 1, and the HSA amount for option 2 and HMO, but we are optimistic we can get there.

The Union passed a counter on wages in which we are still working on pushing up the overall general wage increase as they have not met us where we want to be at overall.

The good news of the day is we did TA and secure the Success Sharing Plan for the term of the new contract.

The Union & Company chairs met this afternoon away from the table to discuss all remaining open items.

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Tuesday and a bargaining report will follow in the evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates. In addition, visit our website for CWA District 6 updates, resources, and ways you can take action! Stay in the loop and stay connected! Your support is crucial to the success of your future!

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

April 5, 2025 – Bargaining Report #28

The Union and the Company met twice today.

The Union Bargaining Team met with the Company this morning and passed proposals on the Success Sharing Plan, counter on General Wages, and a counter on Benefits.

The Company met with the Union Bargaining Team this afternoon at our office and passed a counter back on wages. The good news is we are getting pretty close on wages over the four year term. The Company did agree to renew the Success Sharing Plan and provided a TA document for us to review.

Going into the final week before expiration, we are in a FIGHT to settle our benefits and wages differences and reach a TA. We need all hands on deck to push the Company this next week in Mobilization. Keep it up Sisters & Brothers; we are much stronger when we all stand united.

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Monday morning and a bargaining report will follow in the evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates. In addition, visit our website for CWA District 6 updates, resources, and ways you can take action! Stay in the loop and stay connected! Your support is crucial to the success of your future!

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

April 4, 2025 – Bargaining Report #27

The Union Bargaining Team met three times with AT&T today. During the morning session, the Union rejected a proposal that would have watered down the intent of the two hour notification committee. We also passed a counter proposal on benefits to continue to get the cost closer to where we want, and a counter on the Success Sharing Plan (SSP). The Company did not pass anything to us in the morning session.

We met a second time this afternoon and passed a counter on the annual general wage increases, as well as a push to increase the per diem in the core contract.

The Company passed a counter on benefits in which they are holding on to their last Option 1 healthcare proposal which would force our members into higher monthly premiums. They did move annual pension deposits on all four years and we are close there. The biggest fight right now will be the Option 1 cost share percentage. We are currently off by 2% on where we want to be at.

We met a third time this evening and the Company countered our wage proposal and we got a small bit closer to where we need to land, but not where we need to be overall.

While this Company is fighting us on a 2% difference on Healthcare Cost Share, pay attention to how many times you see AT&T while watching the Women & Men’s Final Four this weekend! They spent millions off our backs to plaster their name everywhere in Tampa & San Antonio. Many of you have given your whole adult lives to this Company. The Clock is Ticking………

As we go into the last seven days before expiration, the Union Bargaining Team needs you Fam! It’s time to push us over the top! Here’s a message from the Bargaining Team & CWA 6132:

We Are CWA!

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Saturday morning and a bargaining report will follow in the evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates. In addition, visit our website for CWA District 6 updates, resources, and ways you can take action! Stay in the loop and stay connected! Your support is crucial to the success of your future!

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

April 3, 2025 – Bargaining Report #26

The Union Bargaining Team met twice with AT&T today with the morning session being our most productive session to date.

The following proposals were TA’d:

Article II – Classification of Employees (Protecting Current Language)
Article VI (General App) – Leaves of Absence for Union Representatives on Union Business (General Application)
Article XIII – Prior Agreement (Protecting Current Language with last CBA dates)
Article XXIV – Safety & Health (Protecting Current Language)
Article XIV – Promotional Pay Treatment (Protecting Current Language)
Article XVII – Force Adjustment (Protecting Current Language)
Article VII – Work Schedules (Protecting Current Language)
MOA – Temp Upgrade Prem Techs to CSTs (protects pay at Group 1 as they can be upgraded now at 1/5th wages)
Appendix J – SS #12 – Force Adjustment (improved from 3 to 4 weeks on notification and added 2 additional weeks of severance pay for higher seniority)
Appendix J – SS #13 – Subcontracting (Protecting Current Language)
Appendix J – SS #1 – Classification of Employees (Protecting Current Language updating dates)
Appendix J – SS #2 – Basis of Compensation (improved assigned overtime from 14 to 12, added double time at 54 hours, and added night differential from 6pm-6am)
Appendix J – SS #17 – Monitoring (Protecting Current Language)
Appendix J – SS #3 – Work Schedules (improved with a guarantee 40 hour work week)
Appendix J – SS #10 – Relief Differential (improved to $10)
Appendix J – SS #11 – Travel (Improved Per Diem to $40)
Appendix J – SS #7 – Absences from Duty (Protecting Current Language)
Appendix J – SS#5 – Vacations (Protecting Current Language)
Article VI – Hours of Work (protected 6pm and Cable Splicer Night Diff)
Article XVIII – Severance Pay (added 3% improvement to both tables it was first improvement on voluntary in over 30 years)
Appendix J – SS#8 – Transfers – (improved from 36 to 24 months)
Article XI – Absences from Duty (improved funeral time to day after funeral and added miscarriage language for employee and spouse and/or legally recognized partner)
Article XIII – Job Vacancy – (improved time and title for all Appendix J employees from 36 to 24 months)
Article IX – Vacations – (Protecting Current Language)

The Union met with the Company again twice this evening and passed our counter proposal on wages & an Appendix J pay increase up front. And they Company about an hour and a half later passed a counter.

The following Additional TA’s were reached this evening:

Contracting Out Committee (renewed)
Tight Labor Market Wage Credit Notification (renewed)
Article IX – Vacations – enhanced language to to open vacation selections that are vacated
MOA – Company sends quarterly notification to the Union on employee movement
Appendix J – All J Employees will get a 3% bump in pay on top of our first year general wage increase

Mobilization by our members and their willingness to strike if necessary appears to have really pushed the Company into agreeing to many items today we were hung up on. We need to keep this momentum going into the last week with wages and benefits still being bargained over. Keep it up Union Fam!

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Friday morning and a bargaining report will follow in the evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates. In addition, visit our website for CWA District 6 updates, resources, and ways you can take action! Stay in the loop and stay connected! Your support is crucial to the success of your future!

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

April 2, 2025 – Bargaining Report #25

The Union Bargaining Team met with the Company twice today.

During our first session, the Company passed two package proposals that will impact many pieces of the collective bargaining agreement.

After a short recess, the Union passed our third counter proposal on general wage increases and an additional bump up front to Appendix J employees. Though we can’t get into specifics as it’s still very raw, we have continued to move the Company higher on wages as we get closer to expiration.

The Union continued to work through many open proposals the Company has passed and reviewed them for accuracy before moving forward.

This evening both parties met again in which the Company passed a counter on wages to the Union. There was improvement, and they did finally counter our initial bump for an Appendix J increase on top of the GWI increase the first year (previously they had rejected this twice)! With that being said, we do only have nine days to go till expiration and we still have a lot of work to do on wages.

The good news for the day is all Locals reported back their strike authorization numbers today and 93.64% of our members have overwhelmingly given CWA the ability to strike if it deems necessary!

These numbers send a clear and powerful message to AT&T SW that District 6 CWA members stand united and ready to take action if necessary! Our bargaining team now carries this mandate to the table, backed by the strength of our membership.

While a strike is always a last resort, this overwhelming show of solidarity reinforces our resolve to demand the fair wages, benefits, and job security that our members deserve. Now, more than ever, we must stay engaged, mobilized, and prepared for the next steps in this fight.

Procedurally, this vote does not mean we automatically go on strike. The CWA Executive Board must first vote to authorize a strike, and then our National President would determine and set the official strike date.

Our strike authorization vote is a powerful tool that strengthens our bargaining position, showing AT&T that we are united and ready to take action if necessary. Stay engaged and mobilized as we continue this fight for a fair contract!

Before we leave this report, we wanted to push out a Video message from CWA District 6 Vice-President, Derrick Osobase, the AT&T SW/CWA elected Bargaining Team, and Officers and Stewards from CWA 6132 who all participated in this video:

CWA District 6 – Have Our Backs

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Thursday morning and a bargaining report will follow in the evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates. In addition, visit our website for CWA District 6 updates, resources, and ways you can take action! Stay in the loop and stay connected! Your support is crucial to the success of your future!

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

April 1, 2025 – Bargaining Report #24

The Union Bargaining Team met with the Company today.

The Company began the meeting by passing a counter proposal on benefits. The good news is they now have every year of the traditional pension plan back to giving annual deposits. They also have introduced a Health Care Savings Account for employees who participate in option 2 with a higher deductible. We are still a ways off on anything close to a TA on benefits and this will likely be the last piece we TA before a full TA.

The Union passed a counter package proposal with Appendix J to get us close to a TA which again will introduce Double Time, an OT cap on hours, night diff, and guaranteed 40 hour work weeks. This may be TA’d tomorrow.

Our team spent the afternoon working through benefits, wages, and a counter on work boots.

Reminder that the strike authorization vote is due back by 12 noon tomorrow, so if you haven’t voted yet, this is your last chance to contact your Local.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 31, 2025 – Bargaining Report #23

The Union Bargaining Team met with the Company twice today.

The Company passed a few more MOA’s that are current language to be renewed. We agreed in principle, but are reviewing them.

The highlight of the morning was the Company continuing to improve upon our last wage proposal; though we are still very far apart, they have shown some positive movement.

After lunch we met with the Company again in which they passed a counter package proposal from our Saturday package. The good news is we are super close on many key improvements in Appendix J!

The Union passed our counter benefits proposal in which we continue to try and push the Company closer to where we need to be to reach a TA.

Because there are so many things we are super close on, we don’t want to jeopardize our position in great detail with a more detailed bargaining report in assumption they are reading our reports. We do plan to counter the Company’s package tomorrow with another Union package to move the needle a little more our way.

Please continue to Mobilize as time is running out and we need this Company feeling the pressure from you the members!

Reminder, the deadline to Vote for the strike Authorization Vote is coming up this Wednesday by 12 noon. If you haven’t voted yet, please check in with your Local!

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Tuesday morning and a bargaining report will follow in the evening.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 29, 2025 – Bargaining Report #22

After working in our own caucus all morning, the Bargaining Team met with the Company Saturday afternoon.

The Union passed a package proposal that would include major improvements in Appendix J: Double Time, Night Differential after 6pm, no forced OT past 12 hours in a week (voluntary still an option), guaranteed 40 hour work weeks, and an increase in per diem while working out of town are some of the major improvements we are asking for. The way a package proposal works is the Company must accept all pieces of the proposal or it is voided.

The Union also passed our second proposal on wages, in which we are looking for a significant wage increase over the duration and an additional proposal to bump Appendix J employees up the first year, before the GWI kicks in.

The Company rejected and countered our benefits proposal in which they are trending in the right direction, however we still have a long ways to go before we agree on a TA on benefits.

Two weeks to go till expiration as of today! These next two weeks it is crucial that our members don’t take a back seat and continue to mobilize in our work places! This is your contract and this Company needs to feel that we are United to help push us across the finish line.

Reminder, the deadline to Vote for the strike Authorization Vote is coming up early next week. If you haven’t voted yet, please check in with your Local!

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company next on Monday morning and a bargaining report will follow that evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 28, 2025 – Bargaining Report #21

The Bargaining Team met with the Company twice today.

Our morning session started with the Company sending us a counter proposal that would still diminish language we already have in Article XI – Sick Time. They are still asking for a waiting period for all employees before sick time kicks in, a counter proposal keeping Prem Techs at 30 months for time and title, and a vacation counter to keep the language the same. Additionally, there were two counter proposals on agreements we have in the current settlement agreement to keep the same (we do agree in principle but are reviewing them).

The highlight of the morning session was a MOA that, upon ratification of the CBA, will make our 19 Temporary Full-Time Employees permanent and, in addition, we get 19 new open Group 1 Craft Job Reqs! It also provides additional opportunities to add full-time Group 1 Craft Job Reqs in the future (more details to come during the explanation meeting).

The Union team met with the CWA Research Department this afternoon to discuss prescription drugs with the new benefits plan versus what we currently have.

This evening the Union met with the Company again during which we passed a counter proposal to their 2nd benefits proposal to continue to get the cost down to a level that will benefit all members.

The Bargaining Team is scheduled to meet with the Company again tomorrow and a bargaining report will follow tomorrow evening.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 27, 2025 – Bargaining Report #20

The Bargaining Team met with the Company today.

We received a counter proposal on Healthcare and Benefits in which we did see some positive movement on the part of the Company. The Union spent this afternoon going through their counter and drafting questions to be asked during tomorrow’s session. There were two TA’s reached today for appendix J Sup statement 16 & 18 to keep the language the same.

The Bargaining team hosted a Town Hall call this evening in which over 1000 of our members registered. Members got to hear from VP Osobase, the elected Bargaining team and Chair, as well as the D6 Mobilization Coordinator.

The call provided insight on where things are currently at and what is needed from members in the next 16 days leading to expiration with their Mobilization efforts.

Thanks to everyone that joined this evening’s call and asked questions!

The Bargaining Team meets with the Company tomorrow and a bargaining report will follow tomorrow evening.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 26, 2025 – Bargaining Report #19

The Bargaining Team met with the Company twice today.

During the first session, the Union passed proposals that would prove up on the amount of years needed to trigger weeks of vacation. This was done on both the Core and Appendix J pieces of the CBA. Additionally, there was a counter proposal passed that would increase the amount of differential pay for Appendix J when relieving a manager as an in charge.

The Union passed our first counter proposal on benefits in what we believe will be a major cost savings to the majority of employees in the CBA. There is still a lot to work out between the two parties, but the good news is we seem to be on the right track.

So far the Company has attempted to attack language in the Core contract by changing night diff to 7pm in core, raising up to 12 hours of assigned OT all 12 months instead of 3 months out of the year, eliminating Cable Splicers night differential protections under Basis of Comp, and reducing sick time benefits. We have been able to fight off these attacks thus far! And we are continuing to discuss several proposals we have that would improve issues that have been identified by our members.

We did agree this morning to TA the Company continuing to promote CWA/NETT training which is free to employees in our bargaining unit.

The Company did not pass anything during the morning session. However, we did meet this evening and the following was passed by the Company:

Counter to keep Article XVI – Travel the same, Union had passed a proposal to raise per diem rates.
Counter to keep Appendix J SS11 – Travel the same, the Union had passed a proposal to raise per diem rates.
Counters on several MOA’s that we had in the 2017 settlement agreement with no changes (we agree in principle to these but need to review all of them before TA’s).
Proposal for Appendix J SS 7 – Absences from Duty to keep the language the same.

We have agreed to meet tomorrow in which the Company intends to have a counter proposal on benefits. We will hold our comments there till we see if they took our proposal yesterday seriously.

While we have every intention of trying to reach an agreement by expiration that addresses our members’ issues, we must be prepared if the Company fails to address our members’ best interests. If you haven’t yet had a chance to participate in the Strike Authorization vote, please check in with your Local on how you can participate.

Please continue to get plugged in with your Locals and the Mobilization efforts as we can’t afford to sit this one out. While we continue to FIGHT at the table, we need you to have our backs in the workplaces.

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall TOMORROW, March 27 at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How members can get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration, as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 25, 2025 – Bargaining Report #18

The Bargaining Team spent the entire day working within their own committee on our benefits counter proposal.

As we had stated in an earlier bargaining report, the Company passed a benefits proposal that includes two new tiers (Individual + Spouse and Individual + Dependents). Our bargaining team has spent a lot of time looking through the impact this would have on our current members.

Though we can’t disclose specific details at this time, we really do believe there is some real cost savings opportunities for the majority of our members. We do plan to pass our first counter proposal tomorrow morning in hopes of getting the numbers to where we believe they should be. The Company’s initial proposal had the Union’s cost share at 32%. Just to put that into perspective, as of the 2017 contract, we are currently at 29% for current employees and 32% for new hires since 2021. The good news is the new plan would eliminate separate tiers for new hires which has always hurt them out of the gate as they were likely the lowest paid employees with the highest insurance premiums. We are very optimistic we can make major improvements for all employees.

The Bargaining Team would like to personally thank everyone who has participated in mobilization activities in your workplaces. If you haven’t been around long enough to know this, the Company doesn’t just give us anything we ask for; but standing together and mobilizing in the field gives us the ability to push them at the table.

Please continue to get plugged in with your Locals and the mobilization efforts as we can’t afford to sit this one out. While we continue to FIGHT at the table, we need you to have our backs in the workplaces.

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall on March 27th at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How members can get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration, as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

Regardless if we meet with the Company tomorrow or not, we will follow up with a report sharing what we worked on as a committee.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 24, 2025 – Bargaining Report #17

The Bargaining Committee met with the Company this afternoon.

The meeting began with the Company completely rejecting our proposals on job security, expansion of work to include a guaranteed Fiber & Broadband work, and creation of new jobs. They told us that our ask was too broad and then didn’t even pass a counter to at least give us an idea of what they would be comfortable with!

Then the Company brought up the protection in the CST title and if surplussed, their ability to bump the least senior Premise Technician and keep their Group 1 pay. They didn’t reject it, but seemed to make it an item of concern that will be under attack. The Union chair pointed out that the Company’s decision to eliminate wire centers will be a direct impact on CSTs and they should be protected. Additionally, he pointed out that seniority is very important to us, and these technicians landing on their feet if surplussed is very important to the Union. Not to mention the MOA that has continued to upgrade Prem Techs to do CST work the past few years.

Additionally, the Company passed counters on a couple MOA’s we already had in the current settlement agreement for Facilities Locate Work, Retired Union Presidents, and renewal statement for Union-Management Relations. They also agreed in principle to renewal of promoting CWA/NETT Academy in which we are reviewing the TA document.

The Union TA’d Article VIII – securing Martin Luther King Day, and the MOA for electronic dues authorization.

Before the meeting ended, the Union Chair talked about the Company’s initial counter on wages amounted to a .58 an hour raise or $23.20 weekly to Prem Techs who would then turn around and have to spend this minimal raise on likely health care increases, and the Union officially rejected the Company’s 2% pay raise annually.

At this time, we are not scheduled to meet tomorrow and we will continue to work on their benefits proposal and our counter.

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall on March 27th at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How members can get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration, as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

Regardless if we meet with the Company or not tomorrow we will follow up with a report after tomorrow and what we worked on as a committee.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 22, 2025 – Bargaining Report #16

The Bargaining Committee meet with the Company on Saturday afternoon and passed the following proposals: Comprehensive proposal on Article XI – Absences from Duty for improvements, Article IV – improving language to include inclement weather and protecting the 6pm night diff language, improvements on the Success Sharing Plan, and our first wage proposals on General Wage Increases which included an additional proposal to increase Appendix J in addition to the GWI.

We had discussions with the Company about their proposal to change On Call Duty, their proposal to move 5000 employees from the ASSP plan to ARSP where everyone else is at (team is still reviewing data and the Company owes us some answers after today’s conversation), and a discussion on issues with Military and short term disability plans.

The Company passed the following proposals: they started by rejecting our proposal on a work boot & prescription glasses stipend, and they rejected our proposal to simply renew the Committee on two hour notification (all because we didn’t agree to a trial in the Committee). They still want to raise term employee status in Appendix J from 36-42 months (they came down six months from their last retrogressive proposal), we agreed in principle to Article VIII to add MLK Day there as well, and the Union’s ability to sign members up electronically.

After a short recess, they came back in and rejected our proposals from about one hour earlier to improve the Success Sharing Plan, our initial General Wage Increase, and the additional increase for Appendix J. They then passed their initial wage proposal which was as follows: Year 1 – 2%, Year 2 – 2% Year 3 – 2% and Year 4 – 2%. The Union Chair responded, “We have a long ways to go if you think we are going to reach a full tentative agreement by expiration!”, and then immediately adjourned the meeting.

There were no tentative agreements during today’s session; however we have the two agreements in principle in which the documents are being reviewed before signing.

Additionally, we have heard comments that members thought they already had MLK day as a holiday. However, we have only had it the past few years thru the extension MOA from 2021 as it is not in the CBA. The extension MOA expires on 4/12/25 as well, so if we didn’t get it bargained into the CBA, we would lose it.

While we have made some progress this week and improvements in Appendix J, the Company has done nothing to move on our job security proposals! And after today’s session, they told us how they feel about you with an 8% cumulative raise over 4 years! You fired up yet?

As you are aware, last year AT&T and CWA ratified two new contracts, one in District 9 (AT&T West), and one in District 3 (AT&T SE). This week the Company had mass layoffs of our Union Sisters and Brothers in both contracts with 386 being surplussed in District 9 and 309 surplussed in District 3. The Company has signified multiple times their intent to try and reach a Tentative Agreement before expiration; however, if we do nothing to address job security, there is no doubt we will be next! If this doesn’t fire you up, then I’m not sure what will!

With only three weeks to go till the contract expires, we must continue to MOBILIZE and FIGHT for this Company to protect good Union jobs in District 6! We deserve more than 8% over 4 years! Let’s get united in this FIGHT!

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall on March 27th at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How members can get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration, as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

Our next scheduled meeting with the Company is Monday, and we will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 21, 2025 – Bargaining Report #15

The Bargaining Committee met with the Company this morning and passed the following proposals:

Article VIII (adding MLK Day) and making sure the other sections remained unchanged, Counter proposals of Sup Statement #1 (Classification of Employees) dropping to 30 months from 36 months, Sup Statement #12 (force adjustment) increasing surplus notification from three weeks to eight, and increasing the layoff allowance for employees with more than 96 months (8 years).

We tentatively agreed to the following proposals:

Removing $3000 cap on incentive plans with notification to the Union on new incentive plans for discussion as they are developed.
Union Notification when the Company plans to use contractors, how long the duration will be, location, expected duration, and number of personnel being used.
Appendix J – Sup Statement 4 (Holidays) – Adding MLK Day
Appendix J – Sup Statement 9 (Promotional Pay Treatment) – current language unchanged

Our next scheduled meeting with the Company is tomorrow afternoon, and we will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall on March 27th at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How members can get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration, as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 20, 2025 – Bargaining Report #14

The Bargaining Committee spent a big portion of today going through data and working on counter proposals. The Company and the Union did meet this evening at the main table.

The Company passed the following proposals: Appendix J – Sup Statement 10 (Relief Differential) to keep the language the same, Appendix J – Sup Statement 4 (Holidays) to add MLK day, Appendix J – Sup Statement 9 (promotional pay treatment) to keep the language the same, and Article VIII adding MLK day meeting the Union’s proposal. However, the biggest movement came from a proposal in Appendix J – Sup Statement 2 (Basis of Compensation) in which the Company lowered the assigned OT to 12 hours (originally 14), agreed to double time (still working through the hours to trigger it), and night differential (still working on hours that trigger it). These would all be improvements on the current language!

The day ended with the Company agreeing to the Union proposal to keep the Article XIX Grievances the same and reaching a T/A.

Finally, on day 14 we have begun to see some positive movement on some of our key issues! We have a very long way to go on many items in the core contract, job security, benefits, and wages; however the Union team was able to smile a little bit after today’s session.

Our next scheduled meeting with the Company is tomorrow morning, and we will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall on March 27th at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How memberscan get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration, as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 19, 2025 – Bargaining Report #13

Before we get started with today’s report, we wanted to remind members of some of the terminology that is used in our reports and what it means:

Passed Proposals – this means proposals were passed across the table by the drafting party (Union or Company). These are not agreements, only proposals that have been requested at the table.
Counter Proposals – this means one party has countered an original proposal that was passed at the table by the other party (Union or Company) and requested changes to that original proposal.
Rejected Proposals – this means that one party (Union or Company) has rejected a proposal and it is no longer currently in play at the table.
Tentatively Agreed Proposals – this is what we strive for as it means a proposal has been mutually agreed upon by both parties and signed as a tentative agreement towards the final contract tentative agreement.

The Union Bargaining team met with the Company today in two sessions.

In the morning session the Company passed the following proposals: Appendix J – Sup Statement 3 (work schedules) to keep the language the same, Appendix J – Sup Statement 8 (Transfers) to keep the language the same, a counter on the Benefits Rep position cleaning up old language that referred to a 2003 LOA, and Article IV – Arbitration (keeping language the same).

After both parties met in their own caucuses and worked on proposals, we met again this evening and the Union passed the following proposals: Article VIII – Holidays (adding MLK day), Article XIX – Grievances (we additionally rejected the Company’s proposal to reduce incident to 30 days and paid attendees in grievance meetings from 2 to 3), Appendix J – Sup Statement 2 (Basis of Compensation to drop assigned OT from 14 to 12, added language to strengthen OT pay, Double Over Time pay at 52 hours and above, and night diff for all hours worked if working between 6pm and 6am.

The Union and Company TA’s the following proposals:

Continuation of CWA Appointed Benefit Representative
Article I (General Application) – Collective Bargaining Procedure

This evening the Company passed a counter to the incentive plans agreement and a counter to contractor notification.

Our next scheduled meeting with the Company is tomorrow and we will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall on March 27th at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How memberscan get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration, as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 18, 2025 – Bargaining Report #12

Report from March 18. 2025

The Union Bargaining team met with the Company today.

The Company passed the following proposals during this morning’s session: Incentive Plans counter, Basis of Comp (adding back in Operating employees), reintroduced MOA on temp upgrades of Prem Techs, Appendix J Work Apparel (keeping language the same), Appendix J Monitoring (keeping language the same), MOA Internal/Appeal Process (wanting to cap back pay at 1 year if we win an arbitration), Appendix J Global Positioning Language (keeping language the same), Appendix J Home Dispatch (keeping language the same), Article XII (General Application) – Training Retraining (keeping language the same), Article XI (General Application) – Common Interest Forum (keeping language the same), Article V (General Application) – Expedited Arbitration (keeping language the same), and Counter on notification of Contractor work.

The Union passed proposals for renewal of the full Strategic Alliance SW Region Agreement, and continuation of notification of the Tight Labor Market Wage Credit.

After a long Union caucus working through proposals, we met this evening and passed a counter to the incentive plan language and a counter to the contractor notification language.

Additionally, the Union & Company Tentatively Agreed to the following this evening:

1. Article XV – Temporary Work in Higher Positions (current language)

2. Article X (General Application) – Technology Change (current language)

3. Appendix J – Supplemental Statement 15 – Work Apparel (current language)

4. Appendix J – Supplemental Statement 19 – Home Dispatch (current language)

5. Article XII (General Application) – Training/Retraining (Current Language)

6. Article XI (General Application) – Common Interest Forums (Current Language)

7. Article V (General Application) – Expedited Arbitration (Current Language)

Our next scheduled meeting with the Company is tomorrow, and we will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

CWA District 6 along with the CWA Bargaining Team will be hosting an informational town hall on March 27th at 7pm. You will be able to learn:

• Key Updates & Critical Information on AT&T SW Bargaining

• How members can get involved in critical mobilization efforts in their Locals

• Direct Q&A with our bargaining team about issues impacting your future

This call does require registration as it is only available to CWA members within District 6. You can register at the following link:

Webinar with Bargaining Team

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 17, 2025 – Bargaining Report #11

The Union Bargaining team met with the Company today.

The meeting opened with the Company providing many answers to outstanding questions we had on their initial benefits proposal. The Union continues to look through their initial benefits proposal and the impact it would have on our members.The Union Chair made comments today around the fact that the Company has spent over $4.2 billion dollars on contractors in the SW region since 2020. Additionally, CEO John Stankey has talked about the Company’s plan to expand their broadband network to 50 million new locations by 2029. The comments were made around the fact that we believe we can provide the manpower needed to install and service the broadband network.

This was followed by the Union passing seven new proposals for MOA’s (3 renews and 4 new) around contractors bargained for work, and the Union securing job security long term for our employees and this broadband work.

The Union also passed a counter proposal on incentive plans that would allow the Company to get rid of the $3000 annual cap, but give the Union more of an opportunity to have input on any new incentive plans.

The session ended with the Union and Company tentatively agreeing in Appendix J to keep personal days the same (sup statement 6), Additional Payments the same (sup statement 14), Article II in General Application (Service Interruption), and Article VII in General Application (Pensions, Disability Benefits, and Death Benefits).

The Union Bargaining Team participated in today’s mobilization, “AT&T Don’t Hoard All The Gold”, by wearing green bracelets, necklaces, and buttons.

As stated last Friday, information on the strike authorization vote went out to Locals last Friday. Stay tuned from your Local on how you can vote. While we have every intention of trying to reach an agreement by expiration that addresses our members’ issues, we must be prepared if the Company fails to address our members’ best interests.

Our next scheduled meeting with the Company is tomorrow and we will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 14, 2025 – Bargaining Report #10

The Union Bargaining team met with the Company today.

The Union passed fourteen additional proposals that would renew and continue several MOA’s that are beneficial to our members that included: MOA for protections for expedited arbitrations, MOA for arbitration and internal appeals process, MOA for Four-Day Work Week, MOA for Monitoring and MOA for electronic dues authorization to name some of the highlights.

The Company passed us eight proposals to Appendix J supplemental agreements in which the only movement was for surplus notification from 3 weeks to 4 weeks. They rejected our proposal to drop temp employees from 36 to 24 months and countered with a retrogressive proposal to raise it to 48 months before an employee could reach regular employee status. They also rejected language that would drop assigned overtime to 9 hours to match the core contract and dropped an hour from 14 to 13 hours. They completely rejected our attempt to add double time on overtime past 9 hours. The Company did pass proposals to keep personal days, additional payments, and employment security in Appendix J the same.

All in all, we have received five proposals from the Company so far that would be retrogressive language from the current language we had when we started bargaining two weeks ago. This is a real slap in the face to our membership!

Today’s meeting ended with the Union rejecting the Company’s proposal to upgrade Prem Techs to CSTs on a temporary basis through an MOA indefinitely if and when they choose to do so. We strongly believe that the Company should be opening job requisitions and allowing these employees to bid on these positions the proper way. This Company continues to use Temporary Employees or Temporary Upgrades as a crutch to not provide our members with real opportunities in better paying jobs. CEO Stankey continues to talk about the amount of broadband buildout this Company plans to do; all we want to do is use our expertise and skills to install, service and maintain this network.

While we agree with the Company that securing 10 TA’s so far and protecting some of our current language is definitely a priority for us, we don’t believe it’s progress on some of our members’ issues. To date none of these TA’s address those issues.

We do hope you see why we should all be mobilizing the Company to be better. We have four weeks tomorrow till expiration and your Union needs everyone on board to step up.

Information on our Union conducting a strike authorization vote went out to your Locals this afternoon. Stay tuned from your Local on how you can vote. While we have every intention of trying to reach an agreement by expiration that addresses our members’ issues, we must be prepared if the Company fails to address our members’ best interests.

Our next scheduled meeting with the Company is Monday and we will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 13, 2025 – Bargaining Report #9

The Union Bargaining team met with the Company today passing additional proposals to extend the following MOA’s: Part-Time Employees Agreement, Change in CST eligibility (asking to remove attendance & performance as a factor to displace a Prem Tech), Successorship MOA, 2 Hour Committee MOA, Hometown Security, and Retired Presidents or Designee for Strategic Alliance Agreement.

The Company passed the following proposals: Keeping Article 15.2 Temp Work in Higher Positions the same, Article X – Excused Work Days (TA’d), Informal Surplus MOA extension, and the Employment Security Commitment (ESC) extension. Under the General Application the following: Article 1 Recognition and Establishment of the Unit (TA’d), Article III Unusual Grievances (TA’d), Article VIII Responsible Union-Company Relationship (TA’d), and Article IX Nondiscrimination (TA’d).

This was our most productive day so far in the sense we agreed to five TA’s. However, we have a lot of open proposals to which we have not received a response.

Tomorrow will be two weeks that we have been at the table with AT&T. So far the Company has not done anything to address our concerns around job security. It’s been raised numerous times so far with the Company that we are fully aware of their plan to eliminate wire centers, and we need stronger language around scope of work in regards to broadband and fiber!

We are scheduled to meet with the Company tomorrow and will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 12, 2025 – Bargaining Report #8

Before we get started with today’s report, we wanted to do a quick weekly reminder of what some of the terminology we use in our reports means:

● Passed Proposals – this means proposals were passed across the table by the drafting party (Union or Company). These are not agreements, only proposals that have been requested at the table.

● Counter Proposals – this means one party has countered an original proposal that was passed at the table by the other party (Union or Company) and requested changes to that original proposal.

● Rejected Proposals – this means that one party (Union or Company) has rejected a proposal and it is no longer currently in play at the table.

● Tentatively Agreed Proposals – this is what we strive for as it means a proposal has been mutually agreed upon by both parties and signed as a tentative agreement towards the final contract tentative agreement.

The Union Bargaining team met with the Company today. The Union passed an additional proposal to do away with demonstrated abilities in Article XIII and replace it with the selection being based on NCS date if the employee is qualified for the open job requisition, adding double time to Appendix J for OT hours over 9, renewal of MOA for neutrality & card check, renewal of MOA for recovery of wages or benefits overpayment, renewal of part-time employees MOU, and renewal of Motor Vehicle Usage Program.

The Company rejected our proposal to increase paid holidays and increasing pay for Comm Techs considered lead technicians or subject matter experts.

The Company did counter our proposal allowing unpaid Union Time to count towards FMLA eligibility to mirror the MOA in the Mobility contract. This is a huge win as Union Officials have always been at a disadvantage doing Union work if they became ill.

We were able to TA the following articles: Article XX – Union Representation, Article XXI – Agency Shop, & Article XXIII – Notice of promotions and transfers of Union Officers, Elected Stewards, and Designated Representatives.

The Union Team is energized by the Locals who continue to send in pictures showing their members participating in Mobilization! We are planning a Town Hall call on the evening of March 27th with the Team to discuss where things are at and what you can do to turn up the heat. So stay tuned to future reports.

We are scheduled to meet with the Company tomorrow, and will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 11, 2025 – Bargaining Report #7

After working in our own Union Caucus this morning, the Union bargaining team met with the Company this afternoon at the table.

The meeting started with the Union asking a lot of questions about the AT&T Retirement Savings & Security Plan (ASSP), which currently approximately 5000 of our members have, possibly being moved to the AT&T Retirement Savings Plan (ARSP) with the current proposal (where everyone else is currently at). Those not familiar with these plans, it is your 401K’s.

Additionally, we asked a lot of questions about the Company’s current health care proposal that would introduce two new tiers to health care (Individual + Spouse & Individual + Child(ren). There are a lot of complex data requests that have been requested that we want to look at. Many of the questions we had the Company could not answer without chasing after the information. Once we have a complete picture of what it looks like, we will continue to work with the Research Department at CWA on comparisons to the structure we currently have through 2025 (current CBA) and the impact it would have on our members.

The Union passed proposals to renew MOA’s for Employment Security Commitment (ESC), Active Military LOA, Retaining the CWA appointed Benefit Representative, and a new MOA that would require the Company to submit monthly movement reports (shows new hires, transfers, terminations, etc.).

The Company rejected all of our proposals to improve upon Article XI specific to sick time and passed a retrogressive proposal that would change the eligibility to 2 years (currently 1), everyone over 5 years would have a 1 day waiting period (currently everyone over 8 years has no waiting period), and to drop paid sick days from 10 to 5!

Additionally, they rejected our proposals on improvements in Article IV Basis of Compensation and passed another retrogressive proposal to change the current language that pays Cable Splicers extra pay on nights. This current language was in the CBA because of the crazy change in hours they have to work from day to day due to the job requirements.

The Company also passed an MOA to temporarily upgrade Prem Techs to do CST work in which we plan to dissect in our own caucus tomorrow morning before asking more questions.

Now finally some good news! We were able to tentatively agree to our first two proposals that would protect Article III – New Job Titles & Article XII – Seniority with no changes from the current language. Though it seems like a small victory, our hope is it will catapult into some positive changes in other proposals that we have passed in the first few days.

As you can see, the Company is playing games with our current language in several articles in the contract. The bargaining team needs everyone to show this Company we are serious and united behind getting a good and fair contract. Please pay attention to the mobilization coordinator’s requests in your Locals and if you have questions, contact your Local! This battle can’t be won just at the table; your Union needs YOU the members to also FIGHT!

We are scheduled to meet with the Company tomorrow and will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 10, 2025 – Bargaining Report #6

The Union Bargaining team met with the Company this morning at the table.

The session started with the Company passing a retrogressive proposal for Article XIX Grievances that would drop the amount of days you could file a grievance from 45 days down to 30 days from the date of the incident, as well as drop the amount of employees that are paid during a grievance meeting from 3 to 2. The current language of 3 covers the Grievant, plus the Union to have two people (1 to present the case and 1 to take notes). Dropping to 2 would diminish this process. The Company also passed a proposal to drop the $3000 cap for incentive plans in which we are currently reviewing the implications, and a proposal to renew the National Transfer Plan in which the Union already had a proposal drafted to do this.

The Union introduced four new Memorandum of Agreements to the Company. The first one was an MOA that would allow Mobility Union Officers or their designees to represent Core employees and be paid by the Company. This is super important for Locals that have both bargaining units (Mobility and Core) in their Locals. The second was an MOA that would count the unpaid work time a Union official spends towards their FMLA eligibility. This has been a disadvantage for Union Officers & Stewards who complete Union work as they may have not had enough hours to protect a medical absence through FMLA if they were to become ill. Third, we introduced an MOA that would introduce two new stipends that would cover climbing boots and prescription safety glasses for the titles that require one or both of these items. Finally, we introduced an MOA for employees eligible for a Transitional Leave of Absence (TLOA) that lasts longer than six months but less than twenty-four months to have the Company’s cost share of their benefits to be paid for the full duration of their TLOA until retirement kicks in; right now it stops at six months.

This afternoon the Union team met with the CWA Research Department in regards to the Company’s initial benefits proposal. The meeting was very productive and we prepared several questions that we plan to present to the Company tomorrow in regards to this initial proposal.

As you can see, the week started off with a lot of work both at the table and in our own Union caucus. It’s obvious with a couple of the proposals we have received from the Company so far that they want to take away pieces of the contract that have worked well for several years now.

It’s still early, but we are prepared to fight off their retrogressive attacks and improve upon what we already have in the CBA.

Thank you to all the Locals who have engaged in Mobilization activities thus far! For those Locals who haven’t participated yet, where are you at? Your Union needs you!

We are scheduled to meet with the Company tomorrow and will follow up with a new bargaining report afterwards.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 7, 2025 – Bargaining Report #5

Today the Union Bargaining team met with the Company and received the Company’s first comprehensive benefits proposal. The presentation took several hours as there was a lot of information to explain. And lots of questions were asked.

Not to get too deep into the weeds as this proposal will likely change multiple times over the course of the next 5 weeks through counter proposals, however it would move all current employees including any new hires into the same bargained for medical program. Additionally, they are proposing to make a change to the savings plan which would put everyone into the same plan excluding employees in Appendix J (they would remain in the AT&T Retirement Savings Plan & Cash Balance #2).

There are some major differences in the Health Care Plan with their initial proposal than what we have currently, in which we plan to meet with the CWA Research Department to walk through their proposal and what it would look like for our members. The Research Department has seen this similar proposal two times previously last year at the other core tables. Lots more information to come in future reports as we bargain with the Company towards crafting the best benefits package possible for our members.

The day ended with the Union passing four new proposals for stronger language in Appendix J’s supplemental statements. Additionally, the Company’s proposal to eliminate severance pay for employees who are terminated was officially rejected.

There was a lot of work that went into the first week at the table with the Company and we could not do this without you, the members, continuing to show support and mobilizing in the field and in your offices towards a fair contract!

Our next report will come out after Monday’s session with the Company.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 6, 2025 – Bargaining Report #4

Due to an unforeseen medical issue, today both parties (Union & Company) worked in their individual caucuses. The Company’s scheduled initial benefits presentation has been moved to tomorrow’s scheduled session.Today the Union Bargaining Team worked through some additional proposals that will be improvements on current language around the amount of mandatory OT for Technicians, improvements on some differential pay, and some new MOA’s that will be introduced by the Union team. We will discuss these MOA’s further after they are passed at the table in a future bargaining report.

The Team ended the day by meeting with our two Alternate bargaining team members via zoom and providing them an update on where things are currently. They have been a valuable voice in the process and we plan to check in with them weekly (or more often if needed) through the duration of bargaining.

During tomorrow’s benefits presentation, the Company has agreed to excuse our CWA appointed Benefits Representative to join the Union Team for the presentation in which his feedback and expertise will add additional value to the team.

Remember, this is a marathon not a race; and we will be as transparent as we can be without causing any harm at the table to the overall process of getting us the best agreement possible. With that being said, mobilization by our members is key in showing this Company we are united for this FIGHT! Please continue to stay connected to your Locals and their designated mobilization coordinators on future actions.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 5, 2025 – Bargaining Report #3

Before we get started with today’s report, we wanted to explain some of the terminology that is used in our reports and what it means:

Passed Proposals – this means proposals were passed across the table by the drafting party (Union or Company). These are not agreements, only proposals that have been requested at the table.
Counter Proposals – this means one party has countered an original proposal that was passed at the table by the other party (Union or Company) and requested changes to that original proposal.
Rejected Proposals – this means that one party (Union or Company) has rejected a proposal and it is no longer currently in play at the table.
Tentatively Agreed Proposals – this is what we strive for as it means a proposal has been mutually agreed upon by both parties and signed as a tentative agreement towards the final contract tentative agreement.

Again, these are some of the terms you will see used over the next six weeks and we wanted to give a better idea of what each term means.

Now to the real report; your elected CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team met face to face with AT&T Labor Relations for day #2 of our negotiations.

During the morning session, the Company completely rejected the Union’s proposals to move all titles from Appendix J to Appendix C. Additionally, they rejected all proposals that would add Appendix J employees into specific Articles in the departmental agreement and out of their supplemental agreements in Appendix J. However, the Company did mention they are fully open to having discussions on improving the supplemental agreements that are in Appendix J.

The Union was fully prepared that this would be the Company’s plan of action as they had made similar moves in other AT&T Core contracts last year that had similar job titles. The Union worked all day to finalize several proposals that would change or strengthen language in the Appendix J supplemental agreements. Late on day 2 we passed several of these proposals across the table to the Company.

The Company closed the day by passing two proposals. One proposal was concerning the number of months that the Company can require technicians to work a total of 12 hours of overtime per week. The second involved regressive language towards severance payments. These were passed as the last proposals of the day. The Union will look at these further before sending counter proposals or responses.

Tomorrow the Company has informed the Union Bargaining Committee that they intend to present their initial benefits proposal.

We are only two days into this marathon and the Company has already played their hand on keeping Appendix J employees in place. The Union was and is ready for this fight at the table. We need everyone with us in the fight.

To end this report, we want to thank our brothers and sisters from Local 6132 in Austin, Texas for meeting us the first morning we walked in to begin bargaining. Your support meant the world to us.

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 4, 2025 – Bargaining Report #2

The CWA District 6 Bargaining Team arrives in Austin

The CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team met face to face with AT&T Labor Relations for day #1 of our negotiations.

The session opened up with comments from D6 Vice President, Derrick Osobase, and AT&T/Labor Relations Vice President, Randy White. The take away from both VP’s was finding common ground, even when we have disagreements and ending with a contract we can all agree upon.

The Union passed 37 total proposals on day one! Our very first proposal was to eliminate Appendix J by moving the four titles into Appendix C. Also, the Union passed proposals to include Appendix J employees into the following Articles by including them and eliminating the supplemental corresponding agreements in Appendix J:

Article II – Classification, Article IV – Basis of Compensation, Article VI – Hours of Work, Article VII – Work Schedules, Article VIII – Holidays, Article IX – Vacations, Article X – Excused Work Days, Article XI – Absences of Duty, Article XIII – Job Vacancy, Article XIV – Promotional Pay Treatment, Article XV – Temporary Work in Higher Positions, Article XVI – Travel, Article XVII – Force Adjustment, Article XVIII – Severance Payments, and Article XXV – Contract Work. Once we fully understand the Company’s intentions to our proposals, we will be able to move forward with discussions of the four job titles that are currently in Appendix J.

Additionally, the Union passed the following proposals:
addressed inclement weather absences, adding hazard pay for disaster work, reintroducing the cost of living allowance, keeping night diff at 6pm versus it changing to 7pm per the last negotiating report in 2017, days off by seniority, eliminating the 12 hours of mandatory OT 3 months out of the year, adding additional Holidays, lowering vacation week eligibility to match Mobility contract, improvements on carry over vacation scheduling, additional paid Excused Work Days, Improvements on funeral leave, improvements on sick time, adding additional compensation for Communications Techs who are required to train others, introducing per diem based on IRS rates, improved severance payments, and protection of future work outside of traditional telephone work.The Company passed three proposals today in what they called clean up language; one to eliminate Appendix D where operators had mostly been housed and no longer exists, elimination of the Operator Services Task Force agreement (falls in line with eliminating Appendix D), and to renew the military LOA for Operation Enduring Sentinel.

As you can see, it was a very busy first day of bargaining with AT&T!

The Union bargaining team will begin tomorrow working in our own caucus to prepare for the next meeting with the Company to pass additional proposals to protect existing MOA’s and introduce a few new ones.

With that being said, we can’t get to the top of this mountain without the mobilization of our members. Please get connected with your Local on what you can do to help us win this FIGHT!

Thank you to all the Locals that sent in pictures of their members showing support in solidarity with the Bargaining team. This is the very heartbeat that will keep us going!

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,

CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

March 3, 2025 – Bargaining Report #1

The CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team traveled to Austin on Monday, February 24, 2025 to begin preparing for our upcoming negotiations with AT&T SW for the 2025 SW collective bargaining agreement.

The team has spent the last week finalizing bargaining proposals as well studying information that was supplied by the Company from our initial request for information.

Tomorrow, we will meet with the Company for the first time and we are prepared to FIGHT for what our members deserve as it’s been over eight long years since we have bargained with AT&T in the SW region.

Stay tuned, as we will be putting out daily bargaining reports as sessions are completed to keep you, the Member, informed and engaged to mobilize and apply pressure to this FIGHT!

Finally, for the first time ever, we are prepared to host a Town Hall call with all our AT&T SW Members in the middle of bargaining to explain how things are going and inform you what you can do to help us achieve a contract that will protect our future, provide significant wage increases, and a benefits package that will keep the costs down and be affordable to everyone. More details to come on the Town Hall meeting in future reports!

To stay updated on actions and mobilizations, text FIGHT to 49484. You can also fill out this quick form to get involved and receive the latest bargaining updates.

In Solidarity,
CWA/AT&T SW Bargaining Team

February 24, 2025

The CWA District 6 Bargaining Team has arrived in Austin, Texas.

January 8, 2025

Local 6132 President Tony Thornburg and Secretary-Treasurer Audry Hawkes travelled to Dallas to participate in the 2025 Bargaining Caucus. We met with other Delegates of District 6 at the CWA Local 6215 Union Hall to review and determine which bargaining proposals would be presented to AT&T at the bargaining table, as well as earmarking which proposals would be critical items we would be willing strike over in order to attain.

The meeting began at 9am and lasted until 3:30pm. The delegates reviewed over fifty bargaining proposals submitted by District 6 members, as well as several MOAs. At least half of those proposals pertained to Appendix J employees, ranging from changes to contractual language in specific Supplemental Statements to simply moving them to a higher classification of employee in Appendix C. At the end of the day, not every proposal will go forward, and not all were deemed critical, but every one of those submissions were treated equally and discussed thoroughly. The bargaining committee has done a commendable job in researching and compiling those proposals to prevent inconsistencies or contradictions with other articles, sections or supplemental statements.

Bargaining is expected to begin in March of 2025.

2025 CWA-AT&T SOUTHWEST BARGAINING

Click here to go to the District 6 Bargaining page

April 10, 2025 – TENTATIVE AGREEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

April 9, 2025 – TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED – Bargaining Report #31

April 8, 2025 – Bargaining Report #30

April 7, 2025 – Bargaining Report #29

April 5, 2025 – Bargaining Report #28

April 4, 2025 – Bargaining Report #27

April 3, 2025 – Bargaining Report #26

April 2, 2025 – Bargaining Report #25

April 1, 2025 – Bargaining Report #24

March 31, 2025 – Bargaining Report #23

March 29, 2025 – Bargaining Report #22

March 28, 2025 – Bargaining Report #21

March 27, 2025 – Bargaining Report #20

March 26, 2025 – Bargaining Report #19

March 25, 2025 – Bargaining Report #18

March 24, 2025 – Bargaining Report #17

March 22, 2025 – Bargaining Report #16

March 21, 2025 – Bargaining Report #15

March 20, 2025 – Bargaining Report #14

March 19, 2025 – Bargaining Report #13

March 18, 2025 – Bargaining Report #12

March 17, 2025 – Bargaining Report #11

March 14, 2025 – Bargaining Report #10

March 13, 2025 – Bargaining Report #9

March 12, 2025 – Bargaining Report #8

March 11, 2025 – Bargaining Report #7

March 10, 2025 – Bargaining Report #6

March 7, 2025 – Bargaining Report #5

March 6, 2025 – Bargaining Report #4

March 5, 2025 – Bargaining Report #3

March 4, 2025 – Bargaining Report #2

March 3, 2025 – Bargaining Report #1

February 24, 2025

January 8, 2025

Meet your 2025 Bargaining Team

AT&T Southwest Contract Expired 4/12/2025 at 11:59pm

CWA District 6 Bargaining Page

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