Elected officials continue to pressure AT&T to live up to the promises the company made on creating jobs with its massive profits from the Republican corporate tax cut bill.
Last Friday, a group of 27 Ohio House Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Fred Strahorn, sent a letter to AT&T Ohio President Adam Grzybicki calling on the company to bargain a fair contract with CWA members at AT&T Midwest and AT&T Legacy T that addresses job security and the return of offshored and outsourced work. A similar letter was sent earlier in July by Ohio State Senate minority leader Kenny Yuko, along with all of the Democratic members of the Ohio State Senate.
Before the tax bill passed, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson pledged at least $1 billion in tax savings to create “7,000 good jobs for the middle class.” Instead, ongoing layoffs have compounded workers’ concerns about the company’s practice of shifting work to low-wage overseas contractors.
“CWA Midwest and Legacy T workers want a fair contract that returns offshored or outsourced work and addresses employment security and the long term economic stability of the company, its employees and our state. We encourage AT&T to continue to work toward an appropriate resolution that is fair to Ohio workers and enhances AT&T’s long-term viability,” the Representatives wrote. Read the full letter here.
CWA also expanded a wave of radio ads to raise awareness of AT&T’s broken promise to use a portion of its $20 billion tax break to create jobs and to ask members of Congress who voted for AT&T’s $20 billion tax break to hold the company accountable, ramping up ads in Ohio, Illinois, and Colorado. Listen to the ads here.