CWA AT&T Mobility Workers National Day Of Action-Time To Fight Telecom Bosses!

CWA AT&T Mobility workers held a national day of action on February 11, 2017. Protests were held outside these AT&T offices in many cities including in San Francisco where members picketed and rallied. Many Mobility workers only make $16.00 an hours and the company wants to deny them a pension. The AT&T CEO Randall L Stephenson makes $26 million or more than $71,000 a day. Members from throughout northern California attended the action in front of the AT&T office at the foot of Powell St in San Francisco.
The company has been outsourcing large number of jobs and is preventing unionization at DirectTV and telling the workers that they cannot afford a retirement plan. They are also demanding healthcare concessions and other give-backs.
Additional media:
https://www.cwa-union.org/news/releases/att-wireless-workers-vote-authorize-strike-announce-coast-coast-rallies-in-35-cities
https://www.cwa-union.org/news/att-mobility-orange-contract-2017-bargaining-report-14
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article130612419.html#storylink=cpy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ifC6FSQ5ts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdFhuq_XdY8
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AT&T Wireless Workers Vote to Authorize Strike, Announce Coast-to-Coast Rallies in 35 Cities
https://www.cwa-union.org/news/releases/att-wireless-workers-vote-authorize-strike-announce-coast-coast-rallies-in-35-cities
Friday, February 10, 2017
NATIONWIDE – As the nationwide contract covering more than 21,000 workers expires on Feb. 11, AT&T wireless retail and call center workers and technicians announced the results of a recent vote to authorize a strike, if necessary. Support across 36 different states is overwhelming with 93 percent of AT&T wireless workers voting in favor of a strike.

While AT&T brings in more than $1 billion a month in profits, it continues to offshore thousands of jobs to Mexico, the Philippines and other countries. AT&T workers are stepping up their mobilization nationwide, and on Friday and Saturday thousands of AT&T workers will rally outside major retail stores and call centers in 35 cities across the country and call on AT&T executives to work with them for a fair contract.

“Americans are fed up with giant corporations like AT&T that make record profits but ask workers to do more with less and choose to offshore and outsource jobs,” said Nicole Popis, an AT&T wireless call center worker who lives with her son in Illinois . “I’ve watched our staff shrink from 200 employees down to 130. I’m a single mother and my son’s about to graduate. I voted yes to authorize a strike because I’m willing to do whatever it takes to show AT&T we’re serious – the company must address these issues and bargain a fair contract.”

Since 2011, AT&T has chosen to cut more than 8,000 call center jobs and offshore thousands of jobs to Mexico, the Philippines, India, the Dominican Republic and other countries. Meanwhile, the company has outsourced the operation of more than 60% of its wireless retail stores to low-wage, low-quality 3rd party dealers. Last month, seven members of Congress sent a letter to President Trump encouraging his administration to help protect and bring call center jobs to the U.S.

AT&T’s latest proposals to wireless workers show the company is not serious about maintaining good jobs and high quality customer service, including trying to cut sick time and force long-time workers to pay hundreds of dollars more for basic healthcare.

“AT&T is underestimating the deep frustration wireless retail, call center and field workers are feeling right now with its decisions to squeeze workers and customers, especially as the company just reported more than $13 billion in annual profits, said Dennis Trainor, Vice President of CWA District 1. “Nationwide, AT&T workers’ resolve to win has never been stronger and when telecom workers commit to winning a fair contract they don’t back down.”

Pressure is mounting on AT&T to settle fair contracts with its workers across its business divisions. In California and Nevada, 17,000 AT&T workers who make sure phone, landline and cable services are running have been working without a contract for almost one year. Late last year, these workers voted to authorize a strike with 95.6 percent support. A third contract covering 21,000 workers in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas is set to expire in April 2017.

“Every day, I help dozens of customers get the phones and services they want, and fix any issues that may come up. I have customers who are on a first-name basis with me and my co-workers because they keep coming back for our service,” said Ghiajaira Paz, a retail sales support representative in the Bronx. “But while we work harder every day, making huge sacrifices to provide the quality customer service that makes AT&T successful, the company continues to cut our pay, healthcare and sick time. We won’t settle for it and this week we’re sending our message loud and clear.”

Last year, CWA members at Verizon were on strike for 49 days, finally gaining a strong contract that created and protected good jobs . During the strike, Verizon’s approval ratings were at a three-year low while analysts and media regularly remarked on the reputational damage facing Verizon.

AT&T Workers to Rally in 35 Cities as Contract Expiration Approaches

In larger-than-ever numbers, AT&T workers are taking action to show the company they will do whatever it takes to win a fair contract. In the past few weeks, AT&T workers have rallied at major AT&T retail stores in New York, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, San Diego and other cities. On the West Coast, AT&T workers have gathered at major state freeway overpasses .

Sacramento CWA 9421 Strike Wins Victory At DirectTV With Return To Work Of Anthony Estrada
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article130612419.html#storylink=cpy
FEBRUARY 3, 2017 1:05 PM
DirecTV technicians end strike as union, company agree to review employee’s case

DirecTV workers strike over technician's termination 1:42

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Roughly 130 DirecTV technicians continued to strike what they called the wrongful termination of former employee Anthony Estrada. Nashelly Chavez The Sacramento Bee
BY NASHELLY CHAVEZ
nchavez [at] sacbee.com

The DirecTV technicians striking in solidarity with a former employee who they say was wrongfully fired will return to work Friday ahead of a scheduled meeting between company and union bargaining officials to review the worker’s case.

Mike Flemann, a DirecTV employee and vice president of the local worker’s union, Communication Workers for America Union Local 9421, said the technicians were given the news about 11:30 a.m. Friday and would be back on the job later in the day.

“It’s definitely a win,” Flemann said. “It went from ‘We’re not talking’ to ‘OK, we’re going to take a look and see what happened.’ ”

Installation technician Anthony Estrada was fired from his post Monday morning. The two-year veteran at the Sacramento-area DirecTV office said he was wrongfully terminated for losing a $300 meter at a job site back in December. The company countered his point, saying they looked at his entire disciplinary history when making their decision.

Estrada, along with roughly 130 technicians who install dish satellites with the company from Lake Tahoe to Fairfield, walked off the job site the same day and began to strike in front of the McClellan Business Park office, demanding the company offer him his job back.

Flemann said the technicians’ return to work was part of the terms for Estrada’s case to go to the bargaining table. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and will include representatives from the union and DirecTV, Flemann said.

Estrada said he hopes he will get his job back. Regardless of what happens, he said he appreciated the support from his co-workers.
“It didn’t go 100 percent the way we wanted to, but it’s still not over yet,” he said.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article130612419.html#storylink=cpy