AT&T lands in union crosshairs

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union took note of AT&T’s report that showed “robust first quarter earnings,” with net profit up 60% year over year. But the company continues to cut jobs and reduce retail operations, which does not sit well with the union. AT&T has closed 549 corporate retail stores over the past year, and even though it has converted many stores into dealer stores, that shrinking corporate retail footprint results in lower wages for wireless retail workers, according to CWA. The union acknowledged that many retail workers represented by CWA were able to transfer into a virtual sales job because of a negotiated job guarantee under their union contract. However, it remains concerned about what the changes are doing to decent-paying jobs.