AT&T 'hopeful' despite CWA strike authorization

The Communications Workers of America today applied some 11^th hour pressure on AT&T, as its membership authorized a strike on AT&T Mobility if the operator fails to reach a deal with its workers by Saturday.

AT&T Mobility workers in the CWA voted 85% in favor of authorizing a strike if a new contract isn’t reached by midnight Saturday when the old labor contract expires. The current AT&T contract covers 20,000 employees in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Midwest, mountain states and West Coast. AT&T and the CWA have been locked in negotiations over employee compensation, health benefits and job security since January, but according to the CWA’s bargaining team, little progress has been made.

“For AT&T Mobility members, a critical bargaining goal is to build a career path and opportunity for jobs within the industry and to stabilize incomes,” CWA executive vice president Annie Hill said in a statement.

Walt Sharp, spokesman for AT&T, said that the company expected the vote, and while it still hopes to avert a strike, the operator has contingency plans in place if one does occur.

“A strike authorization vote is a typical part of the collective bargaining process, and we are not surprised by it,” Sharp wrote in an e-mail. “AT&T has a good relationship with our unions. Bargaining is continuing, and the parties remain hopeful that a new agreement will be negotiated by the expiration of the contract tomorrow. Of course, I would point out that AT&T is a customer-oriented company, and we take every step to prepare for all contingencies, be it a natural disaster or a work stoppage.”

A strike won’t necessarily be guaranteed if the negotiations break down. The CWA’s executive board must first ratify it, and then the CWA President Larry Cohen must set a strike date.