AT&T Orange Mobility Members Authorize a Strike if Necessary

CWA members under the AT&T Orange Mobility contract announced today that they have voted overwhelmingly to give CWA President Claude Cummings the authority to call a strike if negotiations between CWA and the telecom company fail to reach an agreement. The strike authorization vote comes as CWA's contract with AT&T, covering approximately 9,000 Orange Mobility members across five CWA districts, is set to expire at midnight ET on Friday, March 20.

“Mobility workers are on the frontlines for a multibillion-dollar corporation, working on the sales floor, in homes, and out in the field to connect customers to the rest of the world,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “The results of the strike authorization vote send a clear message to AT&T Mobility management—our members know the value of their labor and are united, informed, and prepared to reject corporate greed and do what it takes to win the strong contract they deserve.”

CWA members at AT&T will continue to hold the company accountable on a wide range of issues that directly impact workers, including job security, work-life balance, wages that meet the real cost of living, adequate benefits, and protections on the job. Members, like those at CWA Local 4900 (pictured above), have been mobilizing in support of their bargaining team.

“We bring in a majority of their sales and other services,” Lindsey Wilkerson, CWA District 4 Division 1 Representative, told 14 News in Evansville, Ind. “We deserve fair pay, livable wages, and to not live paycheck to paycheck, and that’s where we’re at right now: paycheck to paycheck. We can barely make it.“

To underscore the reach of AT&T’s corporate greed, Orange Mobility members are planning to hand out informational flyers at March Madness games across the country, sponsored by the company, to inform the public that AT&T seems to have money for everything except paying its workers.

Members will continue to work under their current contract as CWA continues negotiations with AT&T.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.