On August 16th, the Communications Workers of America accused AT&T of unfair labor practices, kicking off a widespread strike
The latest from the scene of a week-long AT&T union worker strike in the Southeast reveals that thousands of workers remain picketing out on the streets, even as negotiations are beginning to take place.
On August 16th, the Communications Workers of America accused AT&T of unfair labor practices. AT&T has denied these claims.
According to the CWA, AT&T has “resorted” to leaning on “unqualified subcontractors” as a result of the strikes, which is made up of service representatives, and installation technicians and maintenance technicians. “During the strike, AT&T has been sending undertrained managers and contractors to perform highly technical work,” CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said. “Our members have seen them at work in their communities and documented unsafe practices, including failure to wear proper safety equipment, failure to secure ladders and other equipment, putting the worker and nearby vehicles and pedestrians at risk, and failure to mark work areas with safety cones.”
Honeycutt then “encourage[ed]” the public to use “extra caution” around AT&T’s worksites.
In response the the union’s charges, the telco said it remains “committed to reaching a fair agreement with CWA District 3.” A federal mediator has been brought in, and while AT&T continues to deny to the charges, it claims it is “eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees.
The telco then went on to highlight the specifics of other tentative agreements made so far with workers in other regions. These include:
- A $500 lump sum.
- 15% compounded wage increases.
- Significant enhancements to benefits, including maintaining the generous Kaiser plan, plus introducing annual wellbeing incentives up to $1,500 and an unprecedented annual company match to your HSA up to $2,000.
- The continuation of retirement plans, plus pension band increases.
- Better stability for premises technicians’ work week by getting more advanced notice for schedule changes and lowering the cap on mandatory overtime.
“Until a deal is reached, we have business continuity measures in place so that we can continue to provide our customers with the great service they deserve” AT&T said. The current strikes are taking place in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
