I'm not sure what you're talking about. My son is represented in AT&T Southeast, which includes wireline workers. He's in the middle of a four-year agreement negotiated in 2015. So if anything was being negotiated on his behalf this month, he sure as hell wasn't aware of it. The newsletter from the CWA mentions that employees will receive a $1,000 bonus from the company, but notice that the letter you linked is kind of cagey about how it came about. The union president was "pleased to have negotiated additional money for members," but he never explicitly says it was THAT money. And if it was THAT money, then why didn't he mention it before today if an agreement was concluded on the 13th? The first word my son got about it came in the form of an e-mail yesterday from AT&T. He didn't hear squat from the CWA. One would think they would have been tripping over themselves to inform workers that they'd be getting a $1,000 bonus for the Holidays, but, alas, the silence was deafening. Of course, it makes sense for the union president to try to take credit for this bonus and talk up how he and his lackeys are so wonderful and worth every penny of union dues, endlessly struggling to help them get the "fair share" they're entitled to. :roll: It makes further sense when placed in the context that they're Democratic shills and hate Trump and are increasingly out of lockstep with the people they claim to hold near and dear to their hearts. Even the letter you linked mentions the usual Democrat arguments: a giveaway to "greedy" corporations and "the rich."
Anyway, I did notice that AT&T Mobility concluded a contract on December 13th, with a component of the wage part of the agreement being a $1,000 lump sum. No mention at that point was made of it being a "bonus." So I don't know. Maybe someone is trying to conflate the two. But here's a fact: No mention is made in AT&T's statement on the bonus about it being the result of a negotiation with the CWA. But it is titled
With Tax Reform, AT&T Plans to Increase U.S. Capital Spending $1 Billion and Provide $1,000 Special Bonus to more than 200,000 U.S. Employees).