17,000 AT&T workers in Southeast strike over contract negotiations
MIAMI - More than 17,000 AT&T workers in nine states across the Southeast are on strike after accusing the company of unfair labor practices during contract negotiations this summer.
The Communications Workers of America — the union representing the striking employees — said workers walked off the job Friday in response to AT&T's failure to bargain in good faith. Workers have been attempting to reach a new contract since June. The labor organization said AT&T did not send representatives to the bargaining table who had the authority to make decisions and that the company has reneged on agreements made in bargaining.
"Our union entered into negotiations in a good faith effort to reach a fair contract, but we have been met at the table by company representatives who were unable to explain their own bargaining proposals and did not seem to have the actual bargaining authority required by the legal obligation to bargain in good faith," Richard Honeycutt, vice president of CWA District 3 in the Southeast, said in a statement.
The strike involves AT&T technicians, customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support AT&T's residential and business wireline telecommunications network. It involves workers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Jean Tejeda is a CWA member and has worked for AT&T/Bell South for 26 years. He said he isn't getting paid while he's on strike.
He's one of more than 200 technicians, sales associates and machine operators on strike outside a Fountainbleu AT&T office, demanding a new contract. Workers also walked out of a shop in Sunrise.
The workers in South Florida are demanding better pay that makes it affordable to live down here.
"If they didn't change their way it would come to this. And here we are."
"They've come to the table. However, the people at the table aren't authorized to make decisions," said Christopher Walterson, the local CWA president.
"We're out here trying to fight for the middle class," Walterson said.
Tejeda said you'll find him outside with his signs until his union gets a new deal. The workers in South Florida don't have a contract. It expired earlier this month. They said without a contract, they can't go to arbitration to resolve disputes over undue firings.
"We feel that our customers deserve better, and we definitely are willing to be out here and take a risk," Tejeda said.
The union said it filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
AT&T denied the union's accusations.
"CWA's claims of unfair labor practices are not grounded in fact. We have been engaged in substantive bargaining since Day One and are eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees," the company said in an emailed statement. AT&T said it reached three separate agreements this year covering more than 13,000 employees.
On Monday, the labor union also accused AT&T of "sending undertrained managers and contractors to perform highly technical work" during the strike. AT&T said it has "various business continuity measures in place to avoid disruptions to operations and will continue to provide our customers with the great service they expect."
