AT&T CWA West wireline workers end week long grievance strike

AT&T (NYSE: T) workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union Local 9509 returned to the job after a week-long grievance strike with AT&T West.

About 1,700 San Diego AT&T went on strike over a contract grievance regarding the way that company monitors sales and customer service representatives last Thursday.

"The entire local participated in the action and members stood together, walking picket lines and holding rallies at garages and the call center," said Chris Roberts, Local 9509 President, in a CWA post. "We know what solidarity means."

CWA Local 9509 members went on strike at AT&T West on May 19 because they said they were forced out by management's refusal to provide the local with copies of the recording usage reports.

What these usage reports consist of are recordings of service representatives' monitored calls that are the basis of management attempts to discipline, suspend and terminate call center workers. The CWA Local 9509 represents about 500 customer service representatives.

Union members wanted access to the documents after a former AT&T service rep in San Diego received a judgment of more than $1 million in a wrongful termination civil lawsuit.

AT&T has been making progress with negotiating new labor contracts with employees represented by CWA in the East and West regions. After the two sides could not come an agreement when the current contracts expired in April, AT&T and the CWA agreed to work on solidifying a new contract.

For more:
- see this CWA post
- San Diego Tribune has this article

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