IBEW, AT&T Reach Tentative Contract Agreement
June 4, 2012
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and AT&T reached a tentative agreement May 30 to extend the existing contract by 12 months. The contract – which covers 7,000 employees in several states – had been set to expire June 23.
During this 12 month extension, all contract items will remain intact, with the exception of the following items:
- Some benefit modifications will be made which will be offset by a $500 signing bonus and a 1 percent wage increase for employees earning under $50,000 annually. Employees earning more than $50,000 annually will receive a $300 signing bonus and 1 percent wage increase.
- There will be a moratorium on any surplus or layoff through September 14, 2012.
- An agreement was reached to engage in negotiations concerning modifications to the training and employment security provisions in the collective bargaining agreement after the ratification of the extension.
IBEW representative Ron Kastner said:
I am pleased we were able to reach an agreement on extending the contract during this difficult time.
Kastner is business manager of Downer’s Grove, Ill., Local 21 and the union’s lead negotiator for this bargaining.
The workers perform inside and outside technical services, marketing and sales duties, clerical work and more. The new agreement would extend the current contract to June 22, 2013.
IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill said:
Negotiations in the telecommunications industry have been an uphill battle for some time now, and reaching an agreement on an extension while protecting critical contract language is an important accomplishment.
Contact: Ronald E. Kastner (IBEW Local 21): 630-960-4466 ext. 225
Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user Wesley Fryer.
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