CWA Exits Mediation with AT&T, Union Strike Enters Week Three

WASHINGTON, September 3, 2024 – Communications Workers of America withdrew from federal mediation with AT&T Sunday as a strike involving 17,000 workers entered its third week.

“Our bargaining team was optimistic that AT&T’s suggestion that we enter mediation with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) meant that the company was finally ready to bargain in good faith,” CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said in a statement. “Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case.”

Honeycutt said the company was using the mediation process as a “delaying tactic.” With a federal mediator out of the picture, AT&T and CWA representatives will be back to negotiating directly. Workers have been pushing for improved pay and benefits since June.