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Visit the Retiree Resource page for links to the CWA Retired Members' Council and related websites

Breaking News!
Local 4319's newsletter -- "The Journal" -- took THREE awards in this year's national competition!

CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #83

7/2/2009

Bargaining continued yesterday with a meeting of the full committee, as well as some informal discussions. Over the past week, we have made meaningful progress at narrowing the gap between the two sides. However, we advised AT&T that we believed it would be in the best interest of the bargaining process to give the committees a short break over the holiday weekend to spend a few days with their families. Negotiations will resume on Monday and it is our hope that we will pick up where we left off.

We understand that members are frustrated with the length of time that this has taken. Rest assured that our bargaining committee shares that frustration too and appreciates all the support that they have gotten through this difficult fight. We remain confident that if we stay strong and united, we will win a fair contract for our members.

Mobilization News: In Akron, Ohio, Local 4302 welcomed technicians loaned in from Michigan with a message of solidarity and stressed that AT&T is trying to drive a wedge between us and we won’t be divided!

Across the Midwest today, members are wearing red to show their support for our bargaining committee to win our fight for a fair contract at AT&T.

Contact your Local’s mobilization coordinator or officers to find out about your Local’s activities.

If you haven’t already gotten everyone you know to sign on to the petition to support AT&T workers, here is the website: www.standupforworkers.com

The next report will be Monday, July 6, or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #82

7/1/2009

Our bargaining committee spent Tuesday in caucus reviewing AT&T’s latest offer and discussing our response. There were no meetings with AT&T yesterday.

Mobilization News: Local 4900 members in Anderson, Indiana are busy spreading the word all around town for AT&T to “STOP CORPORATE GREED!” Yesterday, they held informational pickets outside of an AT&T Mobility Store.

Contact your Local’s mobilization coordinator or officers to find out about your Local’s activities.

If you haven’t already gotten everyone you know to sign on to the petition to support AT&T workers, here is the website: www.standupforworkers.com

The next report will be Thursday, July 2, or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #81

6/30/2009

Talks continued yesterday late into the night. We continue to make progress on a number of unresolved issues and narrow the gap between both sides. However, a number of important issues remain unresolved. Talks will continue today.

Mobilization News: CWA members converged on our nation’s capitol calling on AT&T to stop the attack on middle class jobs.

CWA activists lobbied their Senators and Congressional representatives to send letters to CEO Randall Stephenson to stop the attack on our standard of living. So far, in District 4, we have 31 letters. Locals will continue to meet with their representatives to gain more support.

Contact your Local’s mobilization coordinator or officers to find out about your Local’s activities.

If you haven’t already gotten everyone you know to sign on to the petition to support AT&T workers, here is the website: www.standupforworkers.com.

The next report will be Wednesday, July 1, or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #80

6/29/2009

Negotiations continued throughout the weekend with progress on a number of issues further narrowing the gap between CWA and AT&T. While we understand that our members would like to hear many more details about this progress, it is especially true, at this stage of negotiations, that many issues are interconnected; and it is not helpful to have a public discussion on the progress made or unresolved issues left.

It is also particularly important, at this point, that we maintain our solidarity and show unity. Sticking together is what has helped moved us forward and sticking together is how we will win.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #79

6/26/2009

Informal talks continued in the Midwest on Thursday with a comprehensive review of unresolved issues. While we made some progress, there are still critically important issues that remain unresolved. Talks will continue today and throughout the weekend.

Meanwhile, local leaders and activists from District 4 converged on Capitol Hill this week and met with Senators and Congressmen throughout the Midwest.

We got a growing number of Members of Congress and the Senate to commit to send letters to Randall Stephenson encouraging AT&T to get a fair contract with CWA. Out of approximately one hundred members of Congress and the Senate from across the country, nearly three dozen from our District have already sent letters to AT&T.

Our elected leaders got an earful from CWA activists about how a profitable company like AT&T, that should be leading the way out of this recession was, instead, not willing to commit to preserve middle class jobs.

The intense lobbying over the last few days will continue when these politicians arrive home for the Congressional recess next week. Our elected officials of both parties understand that we need to preserve good jobs in the Midwest.

The next report will be Monday, June 29, or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #78

6/25/2009

Talks continued on Wednesday with a focus on unresolved issues around Prem Tech and employment security.

here is no progress to report from yesterday's discussions. These are extremely critical issues that will need to be resolved in order to reach an agreement.

Talks today will focus on other unresolved issues as we continue to attempt to narrow the gap.

The next report will be on Friday, June 26, or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #77

6/23/2009

Informal talks continued on Tuesday and there was some progress on Evolving Technologies.

Today, talks are expected to focus on a broader range of issues.

The next report will be on Thursday, June 25, or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #76

6/23/2009

Informal discussions continued on Monday, including discussions on the issues of card check and evolving technologies.

We continue to narrow the differences between the company and union positions. Our committee continues to be available to meet and work hard on resolving the remaining issues.

The next report will be on Wednesday, June 24 or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #75

6/222009

Informal talks continued throughout the weekend and our committee continued to work to narrow the gap on the remaining unresolved issues. Issues that were discussed included employment security, Prem Tech, leveraged Service Rep, Datacomm and more. Talks will continue today and the committee remains available to work 24/7 if that’s what it takes to get a contract.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, as delegates gathered in Washington, DC for the CWA Convention, Vice President Seth Rosen told the District 4 delegates: “I could not be prouder of the courage and commitment of our bargaining committee. In spite of incredible frustrations and obstacles, they keep hanging in there fighting for a fair contract. On Easter Sunday, on Mother’s Day and today, Father’s Day, they have been hard at work. We will get a fair contract at AT&T, and when we do, we will all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our District 4 committee for their tenacity and personal sacrifice.”

The next report will be on Tuesday, June 23,or sooner should developments warrant.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #74

6/19/2009

Our bargaining committee continues to meet and make slow progress on a number of issues. However, some major issues remain unresolved.

We will continue to be available to work around the clock, willing to work hard to reach agreement on a fair contract. Negotiations will continue throughout the weekend. We will update if there is a major development.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #73

6/18/2009

Our bargaining committee spent much of Wednesday meeting with AT&T reviewing the unresolved issues. We are continuing to make some progress.

In order to keep bargaining moving in a positive direction, our committee has decided not to take a recess to attend the CWA Convention, but instead stay at the bargaining table and keep working towards a fair contract. -0-0-0-

CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #72

6/17/2009

Our committee spent much of Tuesday in caucus, both, reviewing issues and developing bargaining strategy that will move us forward. Meetings of the full committee will take place today to discuss the entire range of unresolved issues.

We have reached a critical stage in this bargaining and hope the company will be willing to engage with us on the important unresolved issues. We remain ready and willing to work round the clock, if necessary, in order to reach an agreement that is fair to our members. -0-0-0-

CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #71

6/16/2009

The Midwest committee continued to review the informal proposals from AT&T late into the night Monday. We expect to meet with management today to address the questions and concerns we have, and hope to narrow the list of unresolved items.

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CWA D4 AT&T Midwest Bargaining Report #70

6/15/2009

Our bargaining committee spent the entire weekend, through midnight Sunday night, discussing the details of all the informal proposals given to us by AT&T in all areas of the contract. In almost all cases, the details accurately reflected the positions that AT&T had taken in conceptual discussions. While there are still areas of disagreement, for the most part, these are the same areas of disagreement we had at the end of the informal discussions. We did make a little progress on some issues, but also identified an important issue around our Employment Security Commitment that is still unresolved.

While our committee is still reviewing the details of what AT&T shared on Sunday night, we hope that by the end of the day we will have a clear and definitive sense of what issues are still unresolved. We can then start to work hard on those issues.

We understand that it is frustrating we cannot share the details of these negotiations. However, rest assured, at some point, we will get a tentative agreement and be able to share all of the details with you in advance of casting your vote. Until then, please continue to support the bargaining committee who is working and fighting hard to get the best possible contract.

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CWA Members' Relief Fund Form

Click Here to download the CWA Members' Form / Strikers Certification Form. Please print two. Fill the first form out completely and the second fill in all info except ss#; sign but do not date the second form. Turn the completed forms in to your Stewards.

Fact Check: Will the Employee Free Choice Act Cost America 600,000 Jobs?

A curious claim has been making news this past week – thanks to a business front group called "The Alliance to Save Main Street Jobs." CBS, MSNBC, the Wall Street Journal and others have reported that when the Employee Free Choice Act is passed, the US will lose 600,000 jobs.

But Anne Layne-Farrar, the economist at corporate consulting firm LEGG who authored the study, relied on flawed research.

Economist Dean Baker points out that Layne-Farrar's comparison with Canada's unemployment and union density rates don't add up:

This study purports to find that a 3 percentage point increase in unionization rates leads to a 1 percentage point increase in unemployment. Based on this study, the opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act argue that any resulting increase in unionization will cost millions of jobs. Of course the immediate response might be to ask, if this study's findings are accurate, why isn't Canada's unemployment rate 7 percentage points higher than the U.S. rate? Canada's unionization rate is about 20 percentage points higher than in the U.S., yet its unemployment rate is somewhat lower.

The Institute for Southern Studies also took a close look at Layne-Farrar's work. Their conclusion? "Even as a piece of business research-for-hire, Layne-Farrar's study is shockingly weak -- based on a thin set of old and irrelevant data that doesn't even bear out her own conclusions."

Did you hear about this report from your local newspaper or television station? If so, use our letter to the editor tool to let them know that the research is flawed and that rather than destroy American jobs, the Employee Free Choice act will restore the middle class and help rebuild our economy.

The Truth about EFCA

There are a lot of half truths and outright lies being bandied about when it comes to the Employee Free Choice Act. We want you to know the truth; therefore, we are providing a copy of the text of the bill that was introduced into the Senate on March 10, 2009. Download it. Print it up. Pass it around. Post it on bulletin boards. Make sure the truth is known. Senate Bill #560 - The Employee Free Choice Act

Officers of Local 4319

President: Robert V. Hull
Vice President: Erika D. White
Secretary-Treasurer: Terry B. Short
AT&T Unit Director: Jon Runckel
Toledo Lucas County Public Library Unit Director: Harry Johnston
white Collar Unit Director, University of Toledo: Lynn Gowing
Blue Collar Unit Director, University of Toledo: Bob Glover

4319 Retired Members Chapter
President: Marcy Gregory
Vice President: Sandy Lentz
Secretary/Treasurer: Marge Sanchez

Where We're Located

CWA Local 4319
705 Lime City Road
Rossford, Ohio 43460-1630

Meetings

Local 4319 meetings are the first Thursday of each month.
Meetings start at 5:30 p.m.
Unit meeting information can be found on that unit's page.
** Always check the Union Bulletin Board for any changes in time or date **

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