AT&T Faces Employee Pushback, Dividend News and Outages

Last month, AT&T CEO John Stankey raised eyebrows when he sent a stern memo to employees. The memo was in response to a companywide survey that revealed only 79% of over 9,000 AT&T employees said they felt committed and engaged with their work, falling short of previous expectations. In the memo, Stankey doubled down on the company's new return-to-office policy, giving workers a harsh ultimatum. "We run a dynamic, customer-facing business, tackling large-scale, challenging initiatives," said Stankey. "If the requirements dictated by this dynamic do not align to your personal desires, you have every right to find a career opportunity that is suitable to your aspirations and needs. That said, if a self-directed, virtual, or hybrid work schedule is essential for you to manage your career aspirations and life challenges, you will have a difficult time aligning your priorities with those of the company and the culture we aim to establish."
The AT&T Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2775 per share on the company’s common shares. Dividends on common stock as well as Series A and Series C preferred stock are payable on November 3, 2025.Dividends on the common stock and Series A and Series C preferred stock are payable on November 3, 2025, to stockholders of record of the respective shares at the close of business on October 10, 2025.
Members of CWA Local 1298 at Frontier Communications voted on Tuesday to ratify a new contract. The new three-year contract guarantees wage increases, including retro pay going back to September 2024. The bargaining team was also able to maintain retirement benefits and call center worker protections. CWA Local 1298 President David Weidlich remarked, “After more than a year of bargaining, and with the patience and support of our members, the CWA Local 1298 bargaining committee was able to deliver a contract that secures jobs, maintains affordable healthcare and pensions and increases wages, including one year of retro pay. It was critically important to maintain our job security as we continue to prepare for a transition to Verizon.”
Mass 911 outages that swept across parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama on Thursday afternoon were caused by fiber cuts made by “third parties,” according to a statement from AT&T. Initial reports of outages were circulating around 2 p.m. in Mississippi. By 4:45 p.m., AT&T reported service had been restored in all three states. “911 service continues to operate normally across previously affected areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,” the AT&T statement said. “We understand how important these services are and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.” AT&T also said the outages were “at no time statewide,” contradicting some reports from local authorities. (see another article on this topic in this newsletter)