02:28 PM EDT, 09/05/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with additional details in the fourth and fifth paragraphs and AT&T's ( T ) response to a request for comment in the final paragraph.)

AT&T ( T ) negotiators presented the Communications Workers of America's bargaining committee with a "final" offer at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said Thursday.

However, when the proposal was presented, the AT&T ( T ) negotiators stated they were willing to continue bargaining, and the CWA submitted a counter proposal at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Cummings Jr. said.

"The misleading message AT&T ( T ) sent to CWA members this morning about their proposal and the status of bargaining amounts to direct dealing and is more evidence of the company's continued bad faith," Cummings Jr. said. "This type of conduct is what led to these workers going out on strike and it does nothing more than aggravate the situation."

CWA claimed that the offer raises the "upfront" cost for its members and fails to meet expectations, especially for wire technicians, despite AT&T's ( T ) claims of wage increases.

The union, currently on strike for 20 days, urged AT&T ( T ) to "engage in productive bargaining" to resolve the dispute and address issues around healthcare costs and wages.

"We have made a strong final offer to the CWA District 3 in the Southeast," AT&T ( T ) Chief Operating Officer Jeff McElfresh told MT Newswires via email. "We believe that this offer, if accepted, would provide our employees with competitive market-based pay that exceeds projected inflation. The Company is also offering to increase its financial contributions to employee healthcare and wellness by up to 25% per year. The terms of this offer are largely in line with the three other competitive and fair agreements we've reached with our unions this year, including the tentative agreement we bargained with CWA District 9 [West]."