Bargaining Update

CWA Reaches Agreement with AT&T on DirecTV

Under the terms of an agreement reached with AT&T, CWA members who are employed by DirecTV will continue to be covered by existing collective bargaining contracts. CWA entered into effects bargaining with AT&T as a result of the announced spin-off of its U.S. video services into a stand-alone company. The spin-off was completed on August 2 with the new independent DirecTV now co-owned by AT&T and TPG Capital, a private equity firm.

The agreement also ensures vesting of pension and 401(k) balances for unvested employees and provides priority rehiring consideration for former AT&T employees who transitioned to DirecTV. Details of the agreement are available at cwa-union.org/news/cwa-directv-effects-bargaining-final-report.

“This agreement is a big first step in ensuring that members are protected during this transition,” said CWA President Chris Shelton. “I am grateful for the bargaining committee and the workers who supported them for staying strong during negotiations and achieving this victory.”

The Bargaining Committee has now entered into negotiations with the new DirecTV and will continue fighting to make sure our members' rights are protected at their new employer.

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Planned Picket by TNG-CWA Members Forces Fortune Magazine to Postpone Prestigious Conference

Workers at Fortune Magazine, members of the NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003), threatened to picket the magazine’s prestigious CEO Initiative conference, which forced executives to postpone the event. The conference, set for mid-September in Washington, D.C., would have been the magazine’s first in-person event in several years.

The planned action was in response to the lack of progress in contract negotiations. Instead of engaging in good faith bargaining, the company has refused to move on severance pay, protections from outsourcing, diversity, and source protection. The company also insists on continuing to evaluate workers based on traffic and quotas.

Prior to the postponement, the magazine had scrubbed several prominent speakers, apparently out of fear that the speakers would refuse to cross a picket line.

Members of the Fortune Union are determined to continue to strengthen their bargaining position and fight for a fair contract.

Read more here.