20,000 AT&T workers strike; company says customers 'a priority'

About 20,000 AT&T workers in the East and West started striking even as the telecommunications giant reached tentative deals with unions in the Southeast. The company's contracts with two major branches of the Communications Workers of America expired in early April, leading to months of acrimonious negotiations. Now, 17,000 wireline employees in California and Nevada and 3,000 employees in Connecticut have decided to strike, AT&T said in a statement. Wireline businesses have slumped in recent years as use of land-based phones falls off amid the rise of mobile devices.