Telecommunications Giant Wants to Hike Health Care Costs and Offer Crumbs to Members of Teamsters Local 959

(MCKINNEY, Texas)– This weekend, members of Teamsters Local 745 educated attendees of the Byron Nelson PGA Tournament about AT&T’s abuse of its workers. AT&T [NYSE: T] is the primary sponsor of the annual golf tournament.

The Teamsters distributed leaflets and hand fans during the tournament detailing AT&T’s behavior toward its employees in Alaska who are members of Teamsters Local 959.

“The Teamsters do not let corporate America bully our hardworking members,” said Sean M. O’Brien, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “I want to commend Local 959 members for fighting for what they’re worth, and Local 745 members for standing in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Alaska. This is what our union is all about — if you come after any one of our members, you’re coming after all of us.”

While Teamsters held banners telling AT&T to “Stop the Price Hikes and Worker Abuse,” a plane banner flew above the PGA competition sharing the same message on Saturday and Sunday.

Local 959 represents 175 members in Alaska who are trying to bargain their new contract with AT&T Alascom. The AT&T Teamsters who build, maintain and monitor Alaska’s telecommunications infrastructure frequently risk their lives in extreme weather conditions to repair equipment and keep phone and internet services up and running throughout the state, including dangerous work that can only be performed via helicopter transport.

In spite of this, AT&T is refusing to honor the contributions of its workers by demanding that the Alaska workforce accept a meager one percent wage increase in 2022, and a 1.75 percent wage increase in 2023. AT&T is also trying to force Alaska workers with families to pay an additional $1,000 more per year for health care, on top of the $13,000 annually that they already pay.

AT&T made $23 billion in profit last year, which includes revenues from its contracts with the Department of Defense and the Alyeska pipeline.

“This company makes billions in profit for its executives and shareholders off the hard work of its frontline employees, yet the company won’t invest in its longtime workers or its aging infrastructure in Alaska,” said Eileen Whitmer, President of Local 959. “Alaska communities deserve good, family-supporting jobs, as well as phone and internet service they can rely on. We will continue to educate the public until AT&T and its out-of-state negotiators are willing to treat Alaskans fairly.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

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