New Orleans CWA takes to the streets
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, August 16, the 3rd District of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) stopped work and walked off the job at AT&T after contract negotiations broke down. The previous contract expired on August 3. Picketers across the Southeast were demanding that AT&T negotiate in good faith.
“Our union entered into negotiations in a good faith effort to reach a fair contract, but we have been met at the table by company representatives who were unable to explain their own bargaining proposals and did not seem to have the actual bargaining authority required by the legal obligation to bargain in good faith,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. The CWA District 3 represents 17,000 workers in the southeastern United States.
New Orleans workers held two separate pickets for the second day in a row, with more expected until the dispute over negotiations is settled. About 25 workers held up signs outside the AT&T yard at 7100 Lapalco Boulevard in Marrero, Lousiana, and over 60 were on the march at AT&T's southeastern communications hub at 840 Poydras Street in New Orleans. Pickets started at 7 a.m. and continued until past 2 p.m.
“I do so much, and I would rather some more pay. We are in extreme weather conditions with the heat, and they don't want to give us more pay,” said one worker from the buried service wire crew. New Orleans is one of the muggiest environments in the country with “feels like” temperatures regularly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during summer.
While the CWA usually calls contained strikes limited to a few days, this strike is different. Because the union called the strike in response to unfair labor practices (ULP) by AT&T, there is no planned end to the strike. Many workers commented on the increasing militancy of unions and were happy to see members of other local unions come out to support. One cited the recent struggle the Teamsters had for their contract as a source of inspiration.
The bargaining is happening in Atlanta, where the negotiators representing AT&T are not authorized to agree to tentative agreements. CWA Local 3410 President Steve Edler defended his negotiators, stating, “People say they're just trying to break the company; we have been bargaining with AT&T for 80 years. This is generational bargaining; this is nothing new to them. No union is making them go broke.”
“This company will brag to their stockholders about their profits, but when we come to the table, suddenly there is no money,” Elder continued. AT&T's official website goes so far as to state that “lower personnel costs in 2023” was one of the driving factors in reducing operating expenses that year.