AT&T

Founded in the 19th century shortly after the invention of the telephone, AT&T originally stood for American Telephone and Telegraph. It is one of the largest providers of telecommunications, Internet, and cable television in the world.

AT&T has experienced growth in the wireless sector of its business, and decrease in its land line resources. Ongoing contract negotiations with the land line workers were held in five cities over the weekend of April 5, 2009, right through a strike deadline of midnight April 4.Sun Times: AT&T and union talks continue past deadline (April 5, 2009)

1. 1876: Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone; the Bell Telephone company would soon become the former AT&T
2. 1984: Antitrust action against AT&T breaks it into multiple companies; Southwestern Bell (eventually SBC) is created
3. 1993: SBC headquarters moves to San Antonio
4. 2005: SBC acquires AT&T corp. to form the new AT&T; Cingular Wireless also becomes AT&T

AT&T's union accounts for fully one-third of its workforce. Issues under discussion in April 2009 include the costs of health care, wages, lump sum pensions, and work rules. Five contract groups—a national group (based in Oakton, Virginia), the Northeast (New Haven, Connecticut), Midwest (Chicago), Southwest (Austin, Texas) and West (San Francisco)—have contracts that ended at midnight on April 4, 2009. The company argues that the traditional wired phone business fell 7%, while wireless revenue rose 13%—the union is made up of traditional land line workers. Company profits overall have risen to $12.9 billion from $12 billion in 2008.Sun Times: AT&T and union talks continue past deadline (April 5, 2009)

• Qwest Communications: Official Site | Wikipedia

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