AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) will soon enter into a deal with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which will be addressing AT&T Mobility Orange unit employees. The holding company has more than 20,000 Mobility employees who are spread out in 36 states and the District of Columbia. A majority of the company’s employees are in wireless retail, call center, and tech segments.
The four-year contract is being settled after 11 months of negotiations and public disputes, which have been running between the company and workers.
But the proposed contract is expected to set new industry standards
Every employee is seeking for a conducive working environment, which offers wage hikes, healthcare benefits, and employment security. This is exactly what the proposed contract is expected to offer. It will have put to rest some situations experienced in the past including a three-day strike held by thousands of CWA members at several locations in New Jersey.
The approval of the proposed agreement by the union members is expected to take place before the end of January 2018. Its conclusion will be a big milestone for the telecom service provider. It will not only establish strong working relationships but it will also be a platform for encouraging employees.
It is not the first time AT&T is trying to resolve issues with CWA
Apparently, disputes between AT&T and CWA workers have been very common. However, several labor agreements have been entered into after successful negotiations. Between 2016 – 2017, AT&T has had a total of 19 different labor agreements, which covered more than 81,000 employees. Out of the 19 agreements, 10 of them covered 7,800 former DirecTV employees in four states.
AT&T also negotiated another 25 labor contracts between 2015 and 2016, which covered a total of 102,000 workers. All said and done, the labor negotiations have been very instrumental in averting labor strikes, which have been very common in the wireless industry.
Meanwhile, AT&T has continued to invest heavily in the telecom industry while creating jobs for over 7,000 Americans. In fact, if the tax legislation bill is passed, AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson says, “……………….will spur much-needed investment and economic growth in the United States.”
