On April 18th 2022, CWA Local 7200 Area Vice-President Sundee Severson and CWA Local 7250 Area Vice-President Charli Haataja submitted this letter along with a petition calling for a permanent work from home (WFH) option for AT&T workers to AT&T management and CWA leadership. The petition has been signed by more that 1500 AT&T workers and their family members.

April 18th, 2022

To whom it may concern:

We appreciate the flexibility the company has shown in negotiating the temporary work from home (WFH) option with CWA that expires September 30th. This has been essential in keeping workers safe during this pandemic and periods of civil unrest in Minneapolis. 

However, the pandemic is far from over. Wastewater sampling in Minneapolis confirms an 80% increase since March. Recently Philadelphia reinstated their indoor mask mandate. While the Covid-19 vaccines seem to be lessening the severity of covid cases, there is still significant risk for the spread of Covid-19, especially for people gathering indoors, and many of us are extremely anxious of a return to ‘business as usual’ that puts us at risk. 

As we are already more than 2 years into working from home, we believe it is in the best interest of workers and the company to bargain for a permanent WFH option. 

The benefits of a permanent WFH option are astronomical:

• Better Attendance - 

• Can still work from home with cold or allergies - would otherwise fail COVID assessment
• Fewer Job Accommodations
• Reduction in FMLA use
• Fewer tardies - way more individual control of when you are arriving at your workstation to log in.

• Needs of the Business - 

• Quicker and easier responses asking employees for overtime WFH, in short amount of time
• Easier to track productivity/activity due to everything having electronic footsteps
• Work productivity increased

• Financial impacts -

• Cost savings for the company for building utilities, maintenance and supplies
• Reduced cost for workers for commute costs (gas and/or bus-fare)
• Reduced cost for workers for daycare needs.
• Reduced meal costs

• Employee well-being - 

• Employee morale significantly increased 

•  no overheard office politics, no personality conflicts, less dissatisfying small talk.

• Eliminates exposure to sick co-workers 

• no shared air, bathrooms, breakrooms, water-fountains, etc.

• Fewer distractions
• Reduced stress 
• Increased job satisfaction
• No commute 

• More time for family/friends before and after work
• No traffic, no accidents, no road-rage.
• Increased ability to be at work when dangerous road conditions exist.

• Employee safety - workers are anxious about returning to work in an environment with high rates of petty crime.

We have attached the results from a petition of our members all in favor of a permanent WFH option. Our intention was for this petition to represent workers favoring this option, but it has also been signed by members of our families and communities who have felt the impact of our temporary WFH over the last two years. Please take these points and our petition in mind in any negotiations you have with the CWA T&T office over a permanent WFH option or during WHF extension talks, should they occur.

Thank you for your time, 

Sundee Severson

CWA Local 7200

Area Vice President

763-245-8753 (cell)

612-722-7200 (union hall)

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Charli Haataja

CWA Local 7250

Area Vice President

612-998-2322 (cell)

612-332-7552 (union hall)

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Last Updated: 26 June 2023

Link to the Orange DTV Tentative Agreement Highlights: http://cwa.org/dtvorangeta [local mirror]

Link to view the complete DTV Orange Customer Care Tentative Agreement: https://cwa-union.org/sites/default/files/final_dtv_orange_customer_care_ta.pdf [local mirror]

Ballots will be sent to the personal email for all CWA 7250 members who work at DirecTV on the morning of Tuesday, August 23rd 2022. Your secret, secure vote is due by Friday, August 26th 2022 - and will be combined with the votes from the rest of the bargaining unit (Colorado and West Virginia DTV Call centers). The results will be announced at the end of the month.

The CWA bargaining team has unanimously recommended a YES vote. If the agreement is voted down, there will not automatically be a strike - but the bargaining committee will be sent back for further negotiations.

Questions about the voting process? email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Last Updated: 23 August 2022

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Last Updated: 13 July 2022

Solidarity with the Resistance of the Ukrainian People!  Russian Troops Out Now!

Resolution pased by the CWA Local 7250 Executive Board, April 13th 2022.
Communications Workers of America Local 7250 is based in Minneapolis MN and organizes workers at AT&T and DirecTV.

WHEREAS Ukraine has long been under the domination of Russian Czars, the Soviet Union, and now Putin;

WHEREAS this has meant the suppression of Ukrainian culture, the exploitation of workers, and the abuse of the land and resources;

WHEREAS Ukrainian people have continually fought for freedom and self-determination, including the 2014 Revolution of Dignity that overthrew an oppressive Russian puppet government;

WHEREAS the ongoing bloody 2022 invasion and occupation of Ukraine by Russia’s military is an unprovoked unjust, and immoral attempt to crush independent Ukraine – reminiscent of the U.S. government’s own ongoing attempts to dominate smaller and poorer countries around the globe;

WHEREAS this invasion has already killed thousands of civilians, destroyed cities and infrastructure, and created millions of refugees;

WHEREAS the heroic popular resistance of the Ukrainian people has frustrated Russia’s plans and inspired working-class people world-wide;

And WHEREAS a courageous and bold anti-war movement has emerged in Russia that shows the Russian people are not our enemies but important allies  

BE IT RESOLVED that CWA 7250 calls on the Labor Movement and workers everywhere to give our full solidarity to the resistance of the Ukrainian people and demand Russian Troops Out Now!

Further Resolved, that we will look to offer material support (modest as it may be) to Ukrainian unions and workers organizations involved in the fight.

Further Resolved that we call on all countries to open their borders to war refugees from Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan and others.

Further Resolved that we call on the United States and the IMF to cancel all of Ukraine’s foreign debt of some $125 billion – these resources should be used to fight the invasion and rebuild from the devastation not to pay interest to the big banks.

Further Resolved that we will support the local Ukrainian community, unions, and activists who organize solidarity rallies here.  

And finally, be it Resolved that since we are not hypocrites we must speak up and stand against all imperialism – including that of the United States – because all peoples deserve to be free and determine their own destiny. 

For more information on Ukraine:

Ukraine Solidarity Campaign
organizes solidarity and provides information in support of the Ukrainian labor movement

Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group

Ukrainian human rights education and monitoring group 

Operation Solidarity

Antiauthoritarian volunteer network organized to help all progressive forces in society to counter imperialist aggression against Ukraine.

Commons
Ukrainian "egalitarian and anticapitalist" journal

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Last Updated: 20 April 2022