Date Posted
Local 1298's Executive Board and Business Agents met today with Vice President Chris Shelton, Assistant to the Vice President Dennis Trainor, Staff Rep Pat Telesco,  and CWA National economist and benefits experts Louise Novotny and Irvin Stout. CWA hired experts  Randy Barber Union Financial Advisor, and Regulatory lawyer, Scott Rubin, who provided presentations regarding the sale and and the regulatory process.   Although we received some information from our experts, there is still a lot of uncertainty as details of the deal have not been fully disclosed by AT&T or Frontier at this time.  We are in the initial phase of the process, and there have been no public filings yet with PURA.   There will be a lot of uncertainty in the initial phase  and no one is aware of the full details of deal.  There are many regulatory hurdles the company must overcome in addition to separate effects bargaining between the union and At&t and Frontier . We realize that managers are giving out information  to bargaining unit members but this is premature, because all of the agreements and documents between the two companies are not disclosed.  We do know that the  collective bargaining agreement will be honored by Frontier, and any changes require bargaining with both employers.  We have been assured that there are sufficient regulatory and legal restrictions protecting pensions, and the rules in our plan will remain in effect.    Aside from this, CWA is not making any statements based on hearsay because we do not want to add to this misinformation and confusion. The union is currently compiling a request for information which will lead to effects bargaining, to be held in the near future.  In the meantime , District 1 has requested a meeting with AT&T here in Connecticut, which we are hoping  to have as early as the end of this month.   CWA  is exploring our options and still looking for more answers from both employers before we can take a position on the sale.