Whaaaaaaaaaat??? That was my first reaction to the $2.5 billion announcement.

So this is where the money that AT&T says they don’t have is going. While AT&T bargains a contract with CWA and cries poverty, they sneak out and go on a secret shopping spree with a plan to spend $2.5 billion to buy most of Verizon's AllTel divestitures. Just when you think you have seen it all, AT&T shocks us again with their relentless greed. I guess they are not yet large or profitable enough to settle on a fair and just contract with their experienced, knowledgeable, and dedicated employees. Just as the Wizard (CEO) of Oz said; “Pay no attention to the Monopoly behind the curtain.”

And what about the planned wireless work from AllTel that will be integrated into AT&T.  What employees will be part of this emerging and evolving technology that AT&T has vowed to deny entry to from the core wireline side of the business? Is this the way the company will edge us out to the curb? Will AT&T’s mantra to us again be, trust us we have your best interests at heart. We cannot expect any square deal from a company who regularly misleads us with smoke and mirrors by letting on that wireline transmission is not profitable or the economic crisis has crippled the telecommunications industry. In the end, it will be the rank and file that will expose the truth to the public in the light of day.

We should not support this proposed purchase until CWA is given assurances that their core employees who are locked in bargaining a contract with AT&T will be part of the growth in wireless technology and that job security will be assured to core employees before any purchase is approved. The core employees have demonstrated for over 100 years that we can adapt and maintain any technological change that has ever been introduced to the telecommunications network. And as quiet as it’s kept, the wireless network travels on the wired network from coast to coast and overseas and will soon have to be upgraded when the wireless network reaches bandwidth capacity.

AT&T’s memory is short; they have forgotten the contributions of their core work force. But we will not forget, our memories are long and we will continue our fight until this company is exposed to the public as to what is wrong in American capitalism. The uncontrolled greed and unregulated growth can no longer be tolerated by working families. Now, more than ever, our brothers and sisters must stand together and recommit to the long and difficult fight ahead of us. Only our solidarity will gain us a fair and just contract. We can and will prevail.

We only receive what we are willing to fight for. Hold the line.

In unity,

Roy Hegenbart
President
Local 3250

To Whom It May Concern; Telegraph was a digital signal, the history continues.