AT&T hopes to gain concessions from unions.
AT&T the largest employer of union labor in the country, is renegotiating contracts that cover 112,500 workers and looks set to take advantage of the recession to reduce its health care costs.
Five regional union contracts expire on April 4. A sixth that expires a few months later is being negotiated at the same time.
The last time this batch of contracts was up for negotiation, five years ago, there was a four-day strike that was seen as a ***** victory for the Communications Workers of America. But this time, the economic meltdown has shifted the balance of power decidedly toward the employer.
"This is not the time to get involved in a strike. It's incredibly bad timing," said Gary Chaison, a professor of industrial relations at Clark University.
