News

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has got it wrong – that’s the message from both UNI Global Union and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) reacting to the DOJ’s decision to seek to block the merger of AT&T and Deutsche TeleKom’s T-Mobile USA. The merger would create around 100,000 quality jobs. As part of the proposed deal AT&T has committed to bring back 5000 call centre jobs that have been outsourced abroad.



UNI’s Deputy General Secretary, Christy Hoffman said “Workers’ rights at T-Mobile are under constant attack. AT & T is strongly unionised and offering T-Mobile workers a lifeline. The US Department of Justice’s action does nothing for companies trying to create good jobs at a time of a weakening US economy and high joblessness.”



The CWA said in a statement, “In a nation where workers’ rights are routinely violated, as occurs every day at T-Mobile, the DOJ apparently believes that workers should be on their own instead of having a fair choice about union representation.”



“In the US where too many Americans, especially in rural areas, don’t have access to the tools of the internet technology, the DOJ is looking to block a plan to build out speed high wireless access to 97 percent of the country,” CWA added.



At least 40,000 AT & T workers are union members who have been able to win significant improvements in jobs, benefits and working conditions. This is in total contrast to T-Mobile where workers are on their own and do not have a fair choice about union representation. UNI Global Union is ramping up its campaign to insist that T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom signs up to a global framework agreement where all of its workers have the right to decide on union representation without management interference.