The Communications Workers of America announced its support Friday for the
proposed merger between AT&T Broadband and Comcast Corp.
In a press release, the labor union said the merger would help to create new
high-quality industry jobs and lead to the expansion of high-speed
Internet-access deployments.
The union said it held discussions with executives at both AT&T Broadband
and Comcast, and it decided that the merger would likely lead to more positive
labor relations. The CWA admitted that it's had concerns about the merger, but
it now believes the potential benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Meanwhile, Connect Illinois said Friday that a vocal consumer movement helped
to lead the Chicago city finance committee to levy conditions on the merger,
including imposing a minimum level of customer service on the cable operator and
requiring that the merged company maintain a customer-service center within
Chicago.
The merged company would also be required to treat organized labor with
respect, obeying all legal rights of unions.
The full city council of Chicago is scheduled to vote on the conditions
Wednesday (June 19).
