AT&T Cited for Cooperative Efforts with Workers (to return thousands of outsourced jobs to the USA)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: union-network.org

AT&T has been included by American Rights at Work (ARAW) in its annual "Labor Day List" of "socially-responsible" companies that stand out in the corporate world for working cooperatively with workers and their unions. In singling out AT&T as one of seven companies that was honored for helping "redefine labor relations in a global economy," ARAW said, "AT&T has proven that a large company can have a cooperative relationship with its workers' unions and still remain competitive and profitable."

The group praised AT&T for working together with CWA to return thousands of outsourced tier 1 DSL/Internet support jobs to the United States. So far this year, AT&T has announced plans to open seven call centers, creating over 3,000 union jobs.

ARAW also applauded AT&T and the other Labor Day List recipients for "embracing higher labor standards than those currently mandated by U.S. labor law." One of the other honorees, SCA Tissue, has, along with AT&T, negotiated card check and neutrality agreements.

Read more: http://www.union-network.org/UNITelecom.nsf/0/F6040DF2FD0C69E7C1257348002CA039?OpenDocument

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The full story shows how AT&T has allowed several shops to organize. Marta and I are proud to have the new AT&T for our cell phone. Marta was CWA for 18 years.

[efhmc]

1. This is good news but seems to have no interest here.

[Gman]

2. Over many years I've found that those that are far left progressive

have very little to no interest in labor issues. The same holds true here at DU. I never understood why. For some reason they just don't seem to get it. Frankly though, I've often found them very envious of labor's clout. Consequently, I've fought the far left progressives in local politics just like I would fight the company and Republicans for wanting to undermine us or take away what we had.

[Kurovski]

5. Maybe

or maybe folks think AT&T is a criminal, unAmerican piece of crap and would rather say nothing rather than praise a piece of shit company that more than any terrorist, "hates us for our freedlms."

AT&T: spying on Americans.

[Mojambo]

9. That's kinda where I'm at with them

It's kinda like the serial killer who doesn't jaywalk.

Well, I'm glad he's not jaywalking anymore, but he's still not a good guy.

[DCKit]

20. What ^ you two said. They're not interested in Democracy. nt

[Gman]

21. That means folks only are aware of the most recent events with AT&T

and are willingly oblivious to the previous 20 years of Southwestern Bell/SBC under Ed Whitacre as CEO and the truly groundbreaking relationship Whitacre cultivated with the CWA to ensure all union members had good standards of living and good benefits.

Folks here have also mindlessly treated any union member/employee of AT&T as criminal. This appears to be because they only have one issue. The war. Nothing else. Workers' rights, health care, poverty, outsourcing and any other issue that relates to people being able to make a living and support theirselves and their families don't even exist as far as they are concerned. I guess they have the luxury of not having to worry about those things for theirselves. But it would be nice if they had a little concern for their fellow people who are less fortunate.

[Lasher]

12. Here is one pro-union Democrat, just so you'll know.

Support for labor unions is an important part of what the Democratic party should be about.

[Upfront]

18. Here is another.

I have observed this anti-union attitude for years. Sad.

[blondie58]

6. now, I don't know if that is totally accurate

I suspect that a lot of it is that people don't know what to say or don't understand the situation.

As for myself, I am glad to see AT & T doing the right thing, but I haven't forgiven them for participating in the whole spying ordeal.

[Gman]

24. I agree a great many don't understand organized labor

and must not have paid attention in grade school history when they talked about Samuel Gompers et al, but I have been told to my face in person that organized labor does not represent the working people for a plethora of reasons. At the time I just took that to mean that we (labor) as a group were organized and had our contingent of people at whatever convention or event we were at and they didn't. So we controlled the majority of the votes and they didn't. We took everything even after offering the far left progressives some lesser positions. They wanted the main positions and couldn't get them so they got pissed off and bad mouthed labor as much as any Republic or right winger I've ever talked to.

So if I get a little snarky with some of the hard left people here, I've got good reasons.

[hootinholler]

3. Good news indeed.

Could this be the start of a tide change?

-Hoot

[Kurovski]

4. AT&T could use to buy back some goodwill.

They're spying on Americans illegally in full cooperation with BushCo.

AT&T should be disbanded.

[Lasher]

11. Um, they were.

December 31, 1983.

[1monster]

19. Ma Bell was disbanded, but have you noticed? AT&T, in a weird series

of transactions, has bought back Bell South...

(AT&T owned Bell Telephone. The Justice Department forced AT&T to divest itself of the various regional Bell Telephone systems, but AT&T itself was never disbanded... They remained a force in the telecommunications industry.)

[Lasher]

22. Yes, I was an employee of the Bell System when it was divested into 7 regions

AT&T was left with long distance, Western Electric, Bell Labs, and the terminal equipment market.

I did note the irony when AT&T acquired Bell South. If they merge with anyone else like Verizon I'll bet they call it the Bell System again.

[knitter4democracy]

7. Bringing back outsourced jobs is excellent!

This is the way everyone should do business.

[alittlelark]

8. Applause!!!!

Keep up the good work!


:applause: :applause: :applause:

[JTFrog]

10. Hard for me to give them kudos that's for sure.

I've heard nothing but horror stories from people I know that work there.

It is nice to see a couple jobs coming back, but in my opinion that hardly forgives the illegal wiretapping.

[Auggie]

13. There's got to be something else in it for them

I've had the feeling this company doesn't bother with anything unless it improves the bottom line.

Apologies for the cynicism -- even if it it does mean new jobs.

[toopers]

14. This was one of the requirements . . .

for the merger with BellSouth. Of course, the New AT&T has probably cut 10K jobs since the merger took place on Jan 1st.

[ms liberty]

15. While I applaud AT&T for this, and I am supportive of unions...

I can't be too thrilled with AT&T themselves, because of their participation in the unconstitutional activities of this administration. And I'm sitting here, writing this from my Bellsouth AT&T DSL line. (Hi Agent Mike!)

As far as the union aspect, I am very happy that they're doing this. I live in the rural south, where there is little unionization, and it shows. Attempts in some industries that I have know about usually fail. Right now there must be a big attempt in the Charlotte, NC area (my TV market) because there are some nasty anti-union ads running that are actually pretty effective. They feature "average" people (joe construction worker, cathy cashier) saying things like "I want to join a union and pay to keep my job!" or "I can't wait to join a union and support politicians I don't like!"
They're very snarky and sarcastic. I hate them and want to throw a brick through the tube when they come on.

[iamthebandfanman]

16. great news!

and here all this time ive hated AT&T.
lol

now if they can just work on RIGHTS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, not just workers... ;)

[bahrbearian]

17. Take Union Jobs and out source them

then renegotiate those same jobs, is in good will, hardly. "You want your job back, what are you willing to sacrifice, huh, come on how about health care , what about pension ,what about living wages, if you can live without that, then and only maybe then we'll give you a job, otherwise, well, you know."

[mountainvue]

23. I think a lot of companies will find the outsourcing

of their call centers to be not such a great thing.