Union Authorizes Strike Against AT&T
This is appauling..
he has 2 master degrees in business you have... a GED? i think he knows whats going on more than you do... i hope you starve because of your selfishness!
Our country is going down the tubes because of this mentality. No wonder people can't afford to pay ...
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give me an outsourced rep anyday before a union waste of space
roger4567 said:...
Amen Azeron. While I'm not a supporter of unions in general I agree that it is inconceivable that Americans would be supportive of management in underpaying front-line employees while executive management rapes the company with outlandish bonuses, stock options and other perks only available to the "good ole country club boys". These same Americans (mostly republicans who are thankfully now a minority) look the other way when they hear these horrendous stories about the John Thane's of the world who spend $1M + on decorating their executive suites while saying "oh times are bad, we can't afford to give our low level employees raises".
Our country is going down the tubes because of this mentality. N
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haley72 said:
Slammer couldnt have said it better. Unions are getting out of control. They use strikes as a way to DEMAND, not ask, DEMAND raises when the rest of the country is getting poorer. Att is huge with a lot of overhead. Even if they just gave a .50 cent raise to all of thier employees, it would drive them even deeper into debt and eventually into the ground (not likely I know but Im makeing a point). Do you guys remember Att president forwent his 4.1 million dollar bounus. Thats a huge sum of money that he VOLENTARYLY gave up. Dont talk to me about greed at a corporate level when you union workers are the ones screwing with the company and more emportantly THE CUSTOMERS!!!
I was the first one to ...
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If you actually talk to people, you'll find most are not for socialism and actually do prefer a free economy. Republicans may be a minority in Washington, but not in the United States. The only problem is, most are working on Election Day and can't get out and vote....and Democrats seem to have an unusually large amount of votes cast for them, sometimes more than the registered number of voters.
roger4567 said:...
Amen Azeron. While I'm not a supporter of unions in general I agree that it is inconceivable that Americans would be supportive of management in underpaying front-line employees while executive management rapes the company with outlandish bonuses, stock options and other perks only available to the "good ole country club boys". These same Americans (mostly republicans who are thankfully now a minority) look the other way when they hear these horrendous stories about the John Thane's of the world who spend $1M + on decorating their executive suites while saying "oh times are bad, we can't afford to give our low level employees raises".
Our country is going down the tubes because of this mentality. N
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These CEOs were hired on to fix an ailing company. They have years of proven experience which was the reason they were chosen for this position. There are also contracts involved with those positions, contracts which state if you help us to bring in X amount of gross revenue, and you can help us cut our expenses by Y amount, you will receive a percentage of our profits. If the companies don't pay that, then you have a breach of contract.
And if the companies don't offer something like that, then you have these CEOs starting their own businesses where they can get paid for what they're worth. Would you go work for a high stress 18 hour/day, 7 day/week job if they said w...
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This is especially true when you are talking about a guy who froze payroll increases and yet gave himself a nice bonus by selling off stock options.
Like that story a few weeks back about those CEO's taking their salary to a dollar. 80% of their money comes from stock options, stocks that will rise after stunts like that so it wasn't a sacrifice.
I'm not generally a fan of unions, but considering how poorly most wireless workers are treated, attacking them for trying to work out a contract is rather counter productive.
wow, this is america if you don't like it get out!
i hear China is hiring deadbeat communists to help control the internet.
The problem is that the CEO put a hiring and payment freeze on their company because of the tightening economy. From what it sounds like, this union accepted that. But then the CEO went and sold off his shares for a massive profit. Meaning he kept the money for himself.
Free markets isn't a world of robber barons and it isn't of unions either. It is the right of employees to ask for better compensation if the company is doing well. If they don't get it, it is their right to stop working. If they are nothing more than replaceable numbers, att will have new people happy to work...
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I think txt messaging is way, way overpriced, people should be able to get unlimited txt & pix msgs for $10/mo. I'm just saying the whole wireless industry is overpriced.
ninja2205 said:
You're appauling, so you think because the economy is bad a company that had revenue profits of 123 BILLION DOLLARS last year can force there employees to pay more for health insurance and not get there annual pay raises?? Lets just let companies walk all over people because "times are bad"
No. What I am saying is that, The companies don't care either way. This is definitely a horrible thing that companies do and I am on your side however, we are dealing with a different economic situation here. Most companies are not union and if ATT were not, I can bet a different picture would be in vision. At this particular point in time with lack of jobs and unemployment at an all time high, an ind...
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ccareatatt said:...
Read the union website about what we are asking. They sent an email about no wage increases to non union and management. They increased the managers health insurance by 400% this last year. Randall Stephenson decided against taking his 500,000 bonus this year. Sure he has a masters degree and whatever else but the heart of the company is in its customers and employees who take care of the customers. I get an earned income tax credit because i am paid below the poverty line. I have a Bachelors degree and cant afford to go back to school for my Masters Degree right now. I work VERY hard at my job and take any oppertunity to make some extra cash. I have two other side jobs that help out a little bit
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Verizon is non-union. They are a privately held company. They are not reducing their staff, they are paying out bonuses to front line employees, and there are raises going around. Also, the benefits package is great.
You devote alot of time slamming Verizon, but wanna know something? You were not there when they moved 60 plus bikes out of the lobby to provide to families who were too poor to purchase them. You do not see the results of the food drives by employees--for people and animals in shelters. I have seen it and oh yeah, I have pictures too to back it up. Also, our 401(k) matching s fine, our tuition reimbursement is fine, and many other perks. No cuts.
Verizon takes very good care of its employees and they devote al...
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Butthead007 said:...
Slammer,
Verizon is non-union. They are a privately held company. They are not reducing their staff, they are paying out bonuses to front line employees, and there are raises going around. Also, the benefits package is great.
You devote alot of time slamming Verizon, but wanna know something? You were not there when they moved 60 plus bikes out of the lobby to provide to families who were too poor to purchase them. You do not see the results of the food drives by employees--for people and animals in shelters. I have seen it and oh yeah, I have pictures too to back it up. Also, our 401(k) matching s fine, our tuition reimbursement is fine, and many other perks. No cuts.
Verizon takes very good ca
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by Azeron   Feb 1, 2009, 1:59 PM
You're obviously not an employee. Yeah, I'd rather they cut incentives than jobs.
Azeron. Isn't this what ATT is trying to do?
I will refrain from comments that reflect your above with ones posted in here but Azeron, The economy sucks and record numbers of people are losing their jobs everyday. ATT is not my favorite company, however I commend their wishes to stay competitive. They could very easily do what you believe in the above statement. People need to realize that the unions are not as powerful as they once were and not immune to the demographics of the economy. I commend your speech in defending job benefits. I am all about...
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this is bullsh!t, simply because unions are bullsh!t.
I could see where unions come in to play with old times for better work environments and stuff but this is just out of hand.
if you dont like your pay, quit or find a better job. or DEAL WITH IT.
wrightN said:
this is bullsh!t, simply because unions are bullsh!t.
Hey now - this particular strike is a bad idea in the eyes of many (including CWA member & AT&T employee yours truly), but if you take even a passing glace at the history of organized labor in this country, you've got a lot to thank Unions for. You said yourself that in old times for better work environments, well, how did you work environment get the way it is?
unions back then set the frontier for acceptable and about acceptable working conditions which is awesome.
but now people complaining because they don't make enough, cmon now.
if you dont like your job there isn't anyone stopping you from quitting. they need to stop bitching and be fortunate they have a job instead of begging.
thats what i meant about it dude
That said....
I just started with the company in June and in fact am making more money than my previous job so I'm happy for now, but I know alot of reps who are selling more than they EVER have and being paid about 45% compared to what they used to. Seem fair?
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My father was the President of one of the largest police department unions in the US (top 15) but I will win any debate with you on the fact that the CWA is a union for skilled workers.
What the prevailing attitude I'm fighting against is people who say: "This particular strike is a bad idea, ergo: Organized Labor is inherently corrupt. My poor experience with a union supports my premise".
I don't know what kind of education you have, but anyone who's taken basic logic or philosophy, or even sat through one debate class in high school should recognize how much of a fallacy that is.
In the post above, I'm not ripping anyone for their opinion. And even over in the AT&T forum, I'm criticising people who use this particular labor dispute as evidence/support for ripping on labor.
texaswireless said:...
There you go again, immediately ripping someone for their opinion when you didn't like be
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I have been in the wireless industry to 16 years with the past 4 as an owner of a chain of 6 stores (soon to be 16). I offer incentives to hire and keep workers who show drive and determination. I can reward those who do well without having to reward those who hit minimum standards as a group.
texaswireless said:
So if it is not skilled labor why do they need a union? Can't the workers stand on their own? Can't the strongest survive and thrive?
Rather than try to respond to your quasi-Darwinian analogy questions, I'll simply ask that you read something that talks about the general history & philosophy of the U.S. labor movement, like, say: A People's History of the United States (read it with skepticism, of course, no one's ideas are to be swalloed wholesale.) I'd also recommend you take a look at this:
http://www.cwa-union.org/att/fact-sheets/comparison- ... »
texaswireless said:...
I h
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Why exactly should you work to build up the benefits for a group that is unskilled when you could work to better yourself? Why are you going to school if you don't agree with this philosophy? Don't you agree that more skill = better job = better support for your family? Why should those who have significantly less skill than you get paid the same for doing less?
texaswireless said:
I am in this discussion because you would rip those who did not agree with your opinion. Furthermore I do not agree with the concept of a union for non-skilled workers. What you conveniently skipped over was the fact that I do understand and lived in a union household, albeit a government union.
Why exactly should you work to build up the benefits for a group that is unskilled when you could work to better yourself? Why are you going to school if you don't agree with this philosophy? Don't you agree that more skill = better job = better support for your family? Why should those who have significantly less skill than you get paid the same for doing less?
The problem I have wi ...
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crackberry said:
but what you also fail to realize is that companies now know that rewarding employees and retaining employees cost less in the long run than short changing them. this has been the trend for a few decades. but at what point does a business put it's profit in jeopardy to keep employees happy? a capitalist market is going to have cycles. it's kind of the point of being capitalist.....
Companies have always known that. The "incentives" they offered in the past though were all negative. In other words, "do what I ask or you lose a day's wage." Unions keep these folks honest.
If you doubt what I say, consider how illegals are treated by some big orange growers. They are refused bathroom ...
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jrfdsf said:
consider how illegals are treated by some big orange growers.
they are also illegal. meaning they shouldn't be here. i'm just say...
jrfdsf said:...
The problem I have with your assessment and others here is that it is a PROVEN historical fact that without labor unions, our economy and free market capitalism would have dissolved years ago.
The reason that ANY business offers incentives to its workers is because they want to keep unions OUT. If unions didn't exist, companies would eventually return to their old practice of paying as little as they could legally get by with while amassing great wealth for themselves. Thus, the middle class in America becomes extinct- then eventually the number of wealthy people follow that trend. The end result is a third world country that consists of a very few very rich folks and a large mass of very poor.
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Slammer said:...
I have the most respect for you and your opinions. You are quite intelligent and I love your debates on many issues. But I need to disagree with you here. Your thoughts on the unions are of how they once operated years ago. I was a union worker and also a non union worker. Modern day unions are breaking this country by creating corporate vs workers. The unions were developed to help both company and employees. Now it has become a bargaining chip for greed. For too long, workers were demanding huge pay and less work when in fact the non workers are pumping out more productivity and return on the companies investment. This was what built this country. My grandparents worked hard and helped build this count
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jrfdsf said:...
I agree that unions aren't what they once were, and some have even hurt the very workers they were intended to help. I also agree that many government policies and laws created for unions are bad and counterproductive.
That said, Companies that are turning profits need to be held accountable by those who are responsible for their success. While I agree with your above statements, another factor in this equation is that companies are now developing more creative ways to to get rid of their high paying employees and replace them with contracted labor or overseas help. The greed issue runs both ways.
These days, many contract disputes aren't necessarily about getting more money, but simply mainta
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jrfdsf said:
The problem I have with your assessment and others here is that it is a PROVEN historical fact that without labor unions, our economy and free market capitalism would have dissolved years ago.
There is no proven historical fact that because something happen it prevented something else that may have happened. That is called a theory, not a proven fact.
It is a fact that there are labor unions. It is a fact that your username is jrfdsf. It is my opinion that you are wrong. It is your theory (and maybe others as well) that you wrote above.
Global Warming is a fact. The theory behind it is what is actually causing said warming.
Theory or fact, capitalism was going down the crapper in the early part of the twentieth century, and had things continued, they only would have gotten worse.
America has become the most rich and prosperous nation since that time, and unions have raised the standard of living and created a thriving middle class as a result. The old system didn't even come close.
Unions prevent further government intrusion into the business world because they are able to negotiate contracts between workers and management. Without them, we would have even more rules, regulations, and lawsuits than we do now. When people are allowed to work out their own d...
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How about the perfect scenario:
What if the governement got smaller?
What if ppl used common sense and took responsibility for their actions without lawsuits?
What if companies weren't called greedy and gave back to their workers?
What if workers were motivated to do a good job to keep the company running and have customers come back?
What if globalization stabilized and wages were the same every where? Although some places do have strenghts and must be relied on for natural resources for certain things.
This all existed before unions, worldwide. Yes we were all poor and yes...
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texaswireless said:
There you go again, immediately ripping someone for their opinion when you didn't like being ripped for yours.
My father was the President of one of the largest police department unions in the US (top 15) but I will win any debate with you on the fact that the CWA is a union for skilled workers.
There are many kinds of unions. Some are good, some are bad. Not in what they are designed for, but in how they are operated and used for. Unions were the strength in a time when workers productivity was high and economic levels were inconsistant. You could work your ass off and still be victimized by a short layoff. Dues paid into the union would help supplement any down time from work while...
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You don't need a degree, in fact you could basically walk off the street as a high school graduate and become a sales person in the wireless industry. That makes it an "entry level" position. For an entry level position, wireless employees as a whole have it better than most. Those represented by unions have it even better.
Wireless companies reinvest huge amounts of their profits into expanding and improving the systems. And although sales people are important, you could have the world's greatest sal...
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shindig said:...
I think alot of you people that are against the strike dont realize exactly whats going on at at&t, well let me tell you. For the past year at&t has claimed they have grown in the industry and is making all this money but everything they are doing behind the curtain says otherwise. Our sales goals are crazy and people are getting fired because they cant sell $2,700.00 in feature revenue to customers they are unemployeed or penny pinching to save money. at&t dose not care about the economy as long as we hit our goals. Not only are they raising our goals but they are now paying us less to hit that same goal. On top of that they are freezing wage increases. which sucks for people like my self that have bills to
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shindig said:...
Maybe your missing everyone else's point including mine. I love what I do, I love technology, and I love this industry, thats why I stay. Not everyone can say they truly love what they do on a day to day basis, I'm frustrated with the way this company is treating us, thats why we are part of the union, instead of the company shrinking my pay check they need to think some other way to crunch numbers, Like I said before, our sales goals are crazy and the company is paying us less to hit that same goal, so they clearly need to lessen our goals especially if they are going to pay us less for them. Thats why we have a union so we can negotiate these terms, and the only reason why a strike might happen is because
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This is happening every day in America. Without unions, ALL of us would be in a bind.
I don't belong to a union. My company gives me challenging sales goals. What do I do? I figure out ways to meet those goals. If I believe them to be unreasonable, I look for another opportunity elsewhere.
Am I in a bind? No. Have I had to cut back? Yes. So now I don't go to the movies as much. I don't buy PS3 games all the time. I don't eat out every week. I don't order pay per view events. There are literally THOUSANDS of dollars I save simply by reducing excess spending. I've gotten used to those things, but they are not essential. When my job is based on commissions and people are spending less...I too have ...
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This forum is closed.