The Legacy T bargaining committee is continuing to bargain with AT&T and has not been given any such "last, best, and final" proposal made at this table, The core bargaining units are all separate contracts, and the proposal in District 6 does not have any direct impact at any of the other bargaining unit negotiations, all of whom are continuing to bargain. The "summary" of the Southwest (District 6) offer is a "highlights" document that doesn't reveal all of the retrogressive details included in that proposal. The core contracts are comprehensive documents and are unique to each bargaining unit. They include work rules, premium pays, transfers, education, contracting out, job security, and many other economic issues that the company did not address and must be considered in determining the overall economic impact to CWA Members.

Explanation from Ralph Maly, C&T Vice President

By now, you have probably read that AT&T has put their "last, best and final" offer to the Union in District 6, the AT&T Southwest area.  A "last, best and final" offer is usually made by a company to signal that they have reached a "bottom line".  What does this mean for us?
 
The main thing you need to understand is that bargaining will continue at our table.  Each Contract is separate, and we will continue to fight for the issues that are important to our members.
 
Second, it does not mean that negotiations are over, even in District 6.  The Company has not said it will implement this offer.  If they did, they have to prove they have reached "impasse" in negotiations with the Union, and they are far from that.  There are still many proposals on the table where there can continue to be movement.
 
Third, there are different Company offers on Health Care and many other aspects of this agreement at each table.  This offer is very different from what has been offered at our table.  In fact, we are dealing with many different issues in each unit, and bargaining will continue at our table.  There has not been any such last, best and final proposal made at our table, nor do we expect one.
 
Finally, although this offer is not what is at our table, our members should not be fooled by it.  The devil is in the details.  The Company did not list all the retrogressive parts of their proposal.  Also, notice it does not address retiree health care at all.
 
They key thing is for you continue to mobilize and make clear to the company that we are continuing to fight for a fair contract.
 
In Unity,
 
Ralph V. Maly
Vice President