Cingular Bucks the Antiunion Trend

From the NYTimes:

"Union officials said that what set Cingular apart from other wireless carriers and cable companies was, quite simply, that it was not actively antiunion. To be sure, the company and the union have clashed in numerous contract negotiations. But Cingular has not tried to dissuade employees from joining the union. At places like Jackson, for instance, the company did not lobby employees to reject a union or argue that doing so would hurt them and the company.

Instead, Cingular has sent the message that labor can be an ally.

The partnership with the union "provides us a competitive advantage," said Lew Walker, Cingular's vice president for human resources, operations and labor relations. "We do believe it has a positive bottom line impact on the company."

Mr. Walker said the company had benefited by getting the union's support with politicians and regulators, including its endorsement for the acquisition of AT&T Wireless. He also said Cingular had benefited in being the wireless carrier of choice among other unions and organizations that want to patronize a union-friendly company, though he declined to specify how much revenue came from those entities."