CWA District 9 AT&T West Bargaining Bulletin #27
Saturday Midnight April 7th, 2012

We have met with the Company all day in full bargaining sessions and sub-committee meetings in an effort to reach a Tentative Agreement prior to expiration. We did not reach a tentative agreement tonight. The Company's offer is too little too late. 
The Union made a series of proposals that would address many of the major issues of concern to our members. Wages, Pensions, Health Care, Employment Security, Successorship language and many other outstanding items are still yet to be resolved. 
We will not be extending the contract and have the ability to strike at any time, but for now we will continue to work. 
Our negotiations are recessed until tomorrow afternoon. Vice President Weitkamp posted the following comments tonight: 

"Despite the hard work of your committee over the past weeks, we will not reach an agreement tonight. We are still far apart on most major issues, and I suspect for the company this is more about right wing ideology than it is about dollars. It certainly isn't about justice and fair play and it is near impossible to negotiate in a vacuum of good faith.

We will not extend and we will, for the time being, return to work tomorrow without a contract. Mobilization has to rise to a new level of confrontation and resistance so that the bully boys in Dallas start to realize the value of labor peace. You'll get a more detailed bulletin from the committee in the morning. I've sent them to get some rest as we enter the next phase of this fight. We will continue to bargain tomorrow. Please use the time you have this Easter Sunday to talk with your local leaders and mobilizers to make sure our members start letting the company know exactly what they have done to trust, morale and motivation with their disrespect to the work force. This is born of greed, pure and simple and the continuing war on the working class by corporations in this country. 

As the fight expands into the next phase, what I told you this morning about linking up with others that will stand with us through the 99% Spring movement has to spring to life". 

Mobilization Phase 3- Strike Standby will begin. We will share more detailed information about the unresolved issues and review our strategy. While we made the decision not to strike at this time and report to work as scheduled, it will not be business as usual! We are in the fight of our lives. Management needs to see the difference between last week and this week.

Keep up the Fight! Fighting for the American Dream! 

In Unity, Your Bargaining Team