17K AT&T Southeast employees on strike, company says it's 'disappointed' in them
AT&T logo is seen at store in Washington DC on July 12, 2024. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
ATLANTA - There are 17,000 technicians, customer service reps and more employed at AT&T Southeast currently on strike, citing "unfair labor practices." Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest communications and media labor union in U.S., made the announcement Friday.
According to CWA, the unfair labor practices happened during negotiations for a new union contract. The union claimed AT&T sent representatives who refused to effectively bargain for a fair deal. A complaint was filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
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"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," said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. "Our members want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers deserve. It’s time for AT&T to start negotiating in good faith so that we can move forward towards a fair contract."
On Saturday morning, a representative from AT&T released a statement claiming that CWA's grievances were not rooted in fact.
"We have been engaged in substantive bargaining since day 1 and are eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees. As evidence, we have reached 3 agreements this year covering more than 13,000 employees, including our most recent tentative agreement with District 9 (west). We remain committed to working with District 3 (southeast) in the same manner," the representative said. "We’re disappointed that union leaders would call for a strike at this point in the negotiations, rather than directing their energies toward constructive discussions at the bargaining table. This action needlessly jeopardizes the wages and well-being of our employees."
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The representative also said the company was determined not to let the strikes disrupt coverage and services.
This strike is ongoing in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.