Welcome

April 8, 2009

We are working with out a contract. This is NOT business as usual. The company is not bargaining with us. Look at their "Last Final Offer."

They want to have us pay for our health care benifits with rediculous deductables BEFORE the company plans pays a dime. Their pension offer of a 1% increase. The elimination of JOG, which garunteed us a job should they need to down size and want to lay you off. Cut the Alliance funding by 50%. Pay increases of 1/2 % the first year LUMP SUM, and 2% the second year again LUMP SUM, with both not counting towards our base pay. The elimination of card check. Change the monitoring language to basicly make it meaningless. What that means is that they can do what ever they wish to monitor you and disipline you however they wish with the results. The company is refusing to even discuss our retirees. What that means is that they are looking to do what ever they wish to them with out any word from the union.

Ladies and gentlemen in press releases this week they compared us and our benefits to the United Auto Workers and the Big 3 auto makers in America. Well folks let me say that:
1) The UAW did not cause the mess that those companies are facing, the CEO's and directors of those companies did, they ran around with blinders on and did not see that people were not buying big gas guzzling cars and trucks anymore, people want fuel efficent cars. So by not adjusting with the change in times they were caught with their pants down and had to go BEG for a hand out.
2) AT&T is NOT the BIG 3. AT&T posted a Multi-Billion dollar profit last year with dividends being paid to stock holders. AT&T is making money and comparing themselves to business that need Government bailouts.AT&T's CEO "turned" down his bonus but took it in stock. So he made away with not only the stocks but also the larger dividends that they paid out this year. All of this is of course in addition to his multi million dollar salary and free benefits and perks.
3) The company claims that wireline services are on the decline. What they dont say is that in those figures they are NOT counting U-verse accounts which is a wired service. U-Verse is a rapidly expanding and profitable sector of AT&T.

We need this company to step up to the table and negotiate a fair contract with us. Not play games and hope to force us to lose things we have fought long and hard to get.
We need to step up our mobilization activities. If you are not aware of what we are doing please contact your shop steward or call the local and leave a message someone will call you back.

In Unity,

CWA Local 1153

April 15, 2009

Brothers and Sisters,

The company still has not begun to actually bargain with the union. They are playing their little games and not explaining why they have made these retrogressive proposals. They are sticking to their belief that in order for AT&T to survive they need to move more of their labor expenses to us. Never mind the fact that our upper management brings home millions or that they find ways to profit during these tough economic times. For example in the annual report just released by the company, we see that when the company moved our headquarters from San Antonio to Dallas, they made provisions to buy 5 executives homes for what the executives originally paid for them. And they got a bonus when tbe house was sold. Never mind the fact that with the economy in the tank the real estate market is also down as well. Well these "Gentlemen" ensured that they would profit from these moves. For instance, Rafael de la Vega made about $16 million last year-conservatively. He bought his home originally for $3,050,000, so that is what AT&T paid him for it. AT&T then sold that same house for $2,900,000 so AT&T lost �not Mr. de la Vega � AT&T lost $150,000 on his house. So then what did AT&T do? Well they paid Mr. de la Vega an additional $87,000 bonus because his house was sold!!! So that means that AT&T lost $237,000 on just his house. It also
means Mr. de la Vega profited on that $237,000�remember that is just one house. Yet these are the same people that are saying that they can not afford to continue to support our retirees, people who gave most of their lives to building this companies reputation and network.

In total AT&T paid $26,007,317 for five houses. As of the printing of the report, two were still not sold�Randall Stephenson�s $1.7 million house and Mr. Watt�s $660,000 home. Two were sold at a loss of $217,317 for AT&T and one broke even. They paid out $1,456,000 in bonuses to the three people whose houses were sold. So in total, AT&T paid out $27,463,317 to five people so far.

Folks, this type of Executive greed is what put this nation in the situation it is in. These executives feel that they are entitled to this compensation for bringing in the profits, but who actually did the work for those profits, who does the customer interact with everyday and get the great customer service from? The CWA member not Randall Stephenson!

On Saturday April 18, 2009 we will be joining Local 1150 at Yankee Stadium for an informational picket. We are asking for any available member or retiree to please contact our office via email or voicemail so I can let Local 1150 know how many people we will have going. AT&T is a MAJOR sponser of Major League baseball and that game is an AT&T sponsered game.

Lets keep up the good work and let AT&T know that we are willing to fight for a fair contract.

In Unity,
CWA Local 1153

May 13, 2009

Brothers and Sisters,

Randall Scrooge is at it again. This time the company sent out a corporate wide email with a "Last Best and Final" offer for District 6, which covers the South West Territory. While the flashy presitation and video attached looks nice, we are not shown the full picture and scope of the offer. As of this posting District 6 is the ONLY table to get this type of offer. Randall was scheduled to meet with the District 6 table on the 12th but he called up the District 6 VP and yelled at him for a health care proposal that the union submitted. He then stated that the Union was not negotiating seriously so he will not meet with them but will meet with another District and hung up the phone. The next day the Company pushed out this "proposal."

This is a classic case of the Company attempting to circumvent the Union and negotiate with the members directly. If the Company was serious about reaching a fair and new Contract they would be talking with the Bargaining team.

The Company propoganda does not detail a lot of the negative aspects of their proposal. Including how much the health care will cost in years 2 and 3 of the contract. That is not even mentioned in the proposal but left to the discretion of the Company. For a full understanding of what is and is not included in this Poison Apple click here
http://district6.cwa-union.org/bargaining/att.html.

We need to continue our mobilzation efforts and let the company know that we will not rest until we get a FAIR contract.

We are still looking for people to help out with these mobilizations. Please call the local and leave a message or email us. Even little things like sending a letter to your elected officals is a great help.

In Unity,
Local 1153

Below Please find an open letter to Randall Stephenson written by
Former Local 1153 Member Gary Maurillo,

�The Death of The American Dream� - An Open Letter to Randall Stephenson

Mr. Stephenson,

It�s become apparent to people worldwide how the greed of a few negatively impacts everyone else. Lately, examples pour out of the television on evening news programs: AIG and Bernard Madoff�s ponzi scheme are only two of many examples. It�s true your salary for 2008 was $1.42 Million, but when you factor in stocks and other compensation, it�s more than a whopping $15 Million from AT&T. It�s bizarre to think that ANYONE is worth $41,000 a day. Do you realize that most working Americans don�t make that much money in a year?

During our contract talks, it�s laughable that AT&T management has made comparisons to �The Big 3� auto makers, two of which are pending bankruptcy proceedings. Not only did AT&T make a healthy $12.4 Billion profit, but the benefits of AT&T�s occupational work force DON�T EVEN COME CLOSE to what UAW member�s benefits were, and the concessions you are offering us today aim to cut back on our salaries, health benefits, and even negatively impact the workplace environment. Meanwhile, downsizing continues, and the remaining workforce continues to pick up even MORE responsibilities. It�s also interesting to note that, while you discuss OUR cutbacks, AT&T purchased your San Antonio home for $1.7 Million when it wouldn�t sell, in your relocation to Dallas. Is THAT really the stockholder�s responsibility?

Management is also looking to cut back on its obligations to its retirees -- people who worked hard to make AT&T the communications giant it is today. Those people helped lay the foundation for profits the company generates today. YOU are benefitting from the work THEY DID with your high salaries and your bonuses. Can you really justify cutting back on THEIR benefits, while you and other upper-management personnel continue to generate high salaries, at least partially based on work that they did? And the attitude you exhibit toward the people who CONTINUE to work for you is basically the same. In the past, AT&T was one big family; now it�s one big DYSFUNCTIONAL family. Of course, you continue to reap the benefits of its occupational workforce, some of whom put in nearly the same amount of time each week as you do � and WITHOUT the power lunches, weekend getaways, and grossly inflated salaries.

What you do may be legal, but do you consider the moral and ethical implications of your behavior, and how it may color not only the perception of AT&T�s customers and stockholders, but of all people who are paying attention? And do you care that, while your own financial situation is secure, many of AT&T�s occupational employees are already struggling to make ends meet?

Are we to believe only a select few are entitled to live �The American Dream�?

We ALL understand the concept of �if you can�t beat �em, join �em�, and that it is tempting to give in to it, simply because you can. A lot of CEO�s, and too many elected officials, certainly do.

Remember this: AT&T DOES NOT EXIST SOLELY TO SUSTAIN YOUR EXORBITANT INCOME. No one is saying you shouldn�t earn a premium; as the CEO of AT&T, you absolutely SHOULD be properly compensated for what you gain for its stockholders. But the occupational employees of this company worldwide work hard to provide products and services to our customers, and should be rewarded for doing so.

What all of us AT&T employees are asking for is REASONABLE COMPENSATION for the work we do, and that you honor previous obligations to those who�ve retired. You should be able to share the benefits of this great company with ALL of us who worked and continue to work for it. If you can meet us halfway, we can promise that we�ll continue to work hard, to maintain AT&T�s status as the premier communications company that it�s always been. You�ll earn the respect of all of us.

And you�ll still be a millionaire.