Bargaining on Premise Tech Title in Districts 4 and 9

Every AT&T bargaining unit started these negotiations with a different contract and different concerns and priorities. Every elected bargaining committee was tasked with negotiating an overall package that best meets the needs of their members.

Prior to bargaining, the Prem Tech title was identified as a “strategic watch issue” because of the many variations in contract provisions and the many different potential acceptable solutions. Each of the bargaining teams has kept the other teams informed about its direction and strategy on these coordinated issues, but is free to pursue its own agreement, one that would serve its members best. (Learn more about the bargaining process agreed to by the Vice Presidents from all bargaining units.)

Each unit defined its own goals for the Prem Tech title, which are reflected in the agreements they have reached or will reach.

District 4

The District 4 bargaining committee sought to enhance job security for techs who are not Prem Techs and improve Prem Tech wages and working conditions. They negotiated the following:

Job security, wage & benefit protection for core techs with the ability to bump Prem Techs during surplus
New local force adjustment areas to give hometown job security and a comprehensive process to achieve it:
- All I&M/C&E titles in Force Adjustment Area (FAA) pooled at the beginning of the surplus process.
  - Core techs can bump Prem Techs prior to invoking Job Offer Guarantee.
  - All I&M can bump Prem Techs.
  - Construction techs can bump up to 10% of Prem Techs.
- Wages and benefits protected while working in Prem Tech title.
- If no Prem Techs in FAA to bump, qualified surplus techs enter Employment Security Job Offer Guarantee.
- Priority placement back into core job with core benefits.

The Committee also negotiated gains for Premise Techs including:

Immediate wage increase for Prem Techs of $3.25 per hour or $130 per week, at go down, at each step of the progression. This brought the wage to $20.00.
Guaranteed weekend off a month, with hours scheduled Monday through Friday that week.
Short notice penalty of two hours pay if hours are cancelled with less than 12 hours notice; penalty of eight hours pay if tour is cancelled once tech has reported.
Clear definition of job duties of Prem Techs and core techs.

Prem Techs may do drops;
Prem Techs may do jack work if already in the customer’s home for U-Verse Order;
Prem Techs cannot be dispatched for POTS issues;
Prem Techs can only work order as assigned;
DSL and home networking on wireline network must be done by core techs.

District 9

The District 9 bargaining committee’s goal was to maintain drops for core techs and to define Prem Techs’ work in the house. Although D9 Prem Techs already earned $20.00 per hour and were the highest paid in the country, the Committee sought to increase their wages and improve working conditions. They agreed to the following, among other provisions:

Immediate wage increase at go down for Prem Techs of $0.45/hour at each step of the wage progression (as an arbitration settlement), followed by the 3% general wage increase. This means an increase of $42.50 per week for Prem Tech at top pay and a top wage increasing to $22.30 per hour over the term of the agreement.
Work schedules will be posted a minimum of 2 weeks in advance, even for those who normally work the same hours, Monday through Friday.
Prem Techs must be notified 12 hours in advance if management will cancel a tour or else they are paid for the day. Further, a Prem Tech’s hours cannot be canceled once the employee has begun their scheduled workday
Guaranteed one weekend off per month
By contract, Prem Techs will be paid overtime after 8 hours a day or 40 hours in a week and double time after 12 hours in a day, even if current California law were to change
Company will distribute the opportunity to work overtime as equitably as the needs of the business will permit
Meal amount for overnight travel from $25 to $30 per day
Core techs will continue to perform all installation and maintenance of POTS services and the initial installation work for ATM enabled DSL service.
Protections for Surplus Systems Techs – Data Communications and surplus Services Techs

Opportunities for a Prem Tech position if there are vacant positions in their consolidated headquarters
Wages frozen until Prem Tech wages catch up to the employee’s current rate of pa

If job duties which are beyond the scope of the current Prem Tech job description are added to the Prem Tech job, provide for bargaining and a neutral third party process

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August 20, 2009