Daily Kos: Pro-Labor Progressives Should Support The AT&T - T-Mobile Merger

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/24/988288/-Pro-Labor-Progressives-Should-Support-The-ATTT-Mobile-Merger?via=blog_653919

By Nathan Newman

Why should progressives care about the proposed merger of AT&T with T-Mobile? Because AT&T is the ONLY unionized wireless company in the country and the merger would ensure that 20,000+ T-Mobile workers would have the chance to join the 43,000 currently unionized AT&T Mobility employees with decent wages and legal protections on the job.

There are a range of other likely benefits from the merger, from a projected deployment of high-speed broadband to over 97% of the population and better service for existing AT&T and T-Mobile customers from more efficient integration of available spectrum from both companies. But stepping away from the impact on consumers, which is being endlessly debated, progressives should be focusing as well on the massive gain for workers rights from the merger.

A Company That Has Worked with Its Union Employees: In an era when workers rights are on the chopping block even in the public sector, this is a chance to strengthen labor rights in the private sector, where a multi-decade war on the labor movement has decimated most unions. AT&T has actually been and remained a unique employer, agreeing to stay neutral when workers seek to organize unions in various units and recognizing the union whenever a majority of those workers sign cards requesting it. Based on this model approach to employee rights, American Rights at Work, which led the drive for the Employee Free Choice Act, picked AT&T as a model employer in its 2007 "Partnerships that Work" list where they wrote: "AT&T and its unions serve as allies and business partners working to advance the success of the company."

When AT&T has acquired new units in recent years, the workers have been able to choose to join the union without the usual employer intimidation that is constant in other firms. In fact, unionized workers at AT&T's Mobility wireless division grew from 9300 members in 2001 to 43,000 today, most of that growth during the heart of the Bush era. \ When AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson was asked about workers rights in an investor conference call about the proposed T-Mobile merger, he said:

"We have with the CWA the Communication Workers of America] a card check/neutrality agreement so if those employees decide they want to be represented by the CWA that process is there ... In fact you saw that with the AT&T Wireless deal. You saw the CWA begin to represent those employees in fairly short order. That's how that process will work out."

FULL story at link.

[Newsjock]

1. AT&T opposes net neutrality. End of story.

n/t

[angstlessk]

2. AT&T advertises..or pays kos to give pro advertisment to AT&T

[Springer9]

3. I dumped AT&T for T-Mobile years ago because their service

was terrible. I sure hope it's not a reflection of their unionized workforce VS T-Mobiles. I'm not happy about this merger.

[Sherman A1]

5. Agreed

Same here and the job losses that will certainly ensue are yet another reason to oppose this merger.

I think there is room for competition.

[DJ13]

4. Job loss from mergers is never a reason to celebrate

[prairierose]

6. I just do not think that monopolies are good...

for anyone. It is more of the plan to profit from public infrastructure and destroy net neutrality.

I do not go to Huffpo anymore and pretty much do not read any stories from there anymore.

edited for spelling error

[msongs]

7. umm most of those T Mobile workers are going to be FIRED. union or not nt