Lumen Members and Retirees Get the Facts About the Proposed AT&T Acquisition

On Tuesday, CWA District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister hosted a virtual townhall meeting so CWA-represented Lumen workers and retirees could learn more about the proposed sale of Lumen’s residential fiber network to AT&T. In her opening remarks, McAllister provided an overview of what is known about the backroom deal and the importance of mobilization to make sure the deal works for Lumen’s workers and customers.

Speakers also included CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., CWA District 7 Assistant to the Vice President and Bargaining Agent for the Legacy Qwest Contract Lisa Avila, CWA District 7 Administrative Director and Co-Chair for Lumen Bargaining Paul Castaneda, and CWA-represented Lumen workers including Jake Williams, 22-year veteran Qwest worker Val Packer, President of Local 7026 Luis Gutierrez, and CWA Local 7704 Area Vice President for Utah Jeremy Dill.

President Cummings put the deal in context: “More and more of our employers want to operate with as few employees as possible! Just like AT&T, they want to go into partnership with private equity firms, take as much money out of the company as possible, and hand it to shareholders instead of paying workers and investing in their product. Whether it is through contracting out or handing things over to AI, we are seeing it everywhere, in every industry.

“What is absolutely clear is that our collective bargaining agreements must be respected! That’s the bottom line here. We will use all the tools we have to make sure Lumen workers and retirees are protected.”

The presenters took questions from members, including questions regarding work-from-home protections and how the workforce will be split between worksites. These issues will likely be addressed and answered during bargaining, which is expected to take place early next year. The Lumen contract expires on March 28, 2026.

While Lumen management has left workers in the dark as to the future of their jobs, CWA leadership is committed to keeping members informed. Lumen members are encouraged to report back on what they are hearing at their worksites and can get updates by signing up here.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.