AT&T Workers Rally For New Contract Downtown

Local AT&T workers rallied on Grant Street downtown in front of the company’s headquarters Thursday morning.

The current Communications Workers Of America union contract is set to expire at midnight on Saturday.

Workers are voicing their concerns over contract negotiations and warning that a strike may not be out of the question.

“We’ve been negotiating since Feb. 24, and there hasn’t been a lot of movement,” said Mary Lou Schaffer, president of Local 13550. “We’re concerned that the deadline’s up on Saturday.

Employees said that their main concern is health care benefits and the portion of those benefits covered by the company. Another concern is that current workers want to be considered for job growth opportunities in light of changing technology.