Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

I found my attorney late last month. My complaint was filed earlier this week. We are now waiting for the answer. Pray for me (or wish me luck).

I tried to bring an EEOC complaint against ATT and the door was pretty much shut in my face! Also,
consulted with legal outlets to review my case, same result. T is just too damn big to deal with because layers know they’ll be bogged down in legal legwork for years and years! Good luck with your efforts!

I didn't know it would be this hard to find an attorney who does Section 301 Hybrid LMRA lawsuits in South Florida. I only have until September 28th to get this suit filed or I'll have to wait until next July for the National Convention Appeal.

My third and last appeal was denied today. This time, they didn't even give a reason or a rebuttal to the evidence I gave them. It's time for me to find a lawyer in South Florida so I can file a Section 301 Hybrid Claim against the CWA and AT&T.

The President's office also denied my appeal without addressing the contract/policy violations and claimed there is no evidence for disparate treatment (it's right in my coaching discussion).

This is frustrating. I only have patience for one more appeal before I sue the CWA and AT&T.

I sent my 2nd appeal on December 24th. The National CWA office doesn't re-open until tomorrow. I will most likely find out by February 3rd if I'm going to arbitration or file my last appeal to the Executive Board.

If the 3rd appeal fails, I'm suing both the CWA and AT&T.

@ OP

Any update on your situation?

You may need to consider going after your local executive members. Union is a paid for service. Your representatives should have a level of expected knowledge and expertise. You may need to pinch your local steward in a civil case as not being qualified to provide the professional service you paid your dues for. The hope is to get a signed affidavit that points the finger up the union chain as a condition of dropping your case against the steward. Good luck.

In Leg-T, warnings and above are made part of the employee's permanent record. We all spun off from the same monopoly.

"Not knowing your situation but going by your posts, if anyone isn’t following the contract, cobc or policy then you have a legitimate grievance. All you can do now is exhaust your appeals. If it isn’t corrected judiciously then you can get a personal lawyer and sue all parties “acting in bad faith” , harassment and for any retaliation. The Union also has to act in your best interest." -1dnt

I was advised by a friend (former manager) that I may have to file suit against both. Looks like it's heading in that direction.

@OP

Not knowing your situation but going by your posts, if anyone isn’t following the contract, cobc or policy then you have a legitimate grievance. All you can do now is exhaust your appeals. If it isn’t corrected judiciously then you can get a personal lawyer and sue all parties “acting in bad faith” , harassment and for any retaliation. The Union also has to act in your best interest.

Just because someone is an L1-CEO doesn’t give them the right to bypass due process. You can sue individual managers not just the company. This notion that a manager can jerk you around because they don’t like you or because of retaliation can get a lawsuit slapped on them in a heartbeat. Just document everything and see some professional psychologist for the mental stress and anguish.

Again, this is assuming you are the aggrieved. We only have your side of the story. I’m not a lawyer so, my suggestion is to seek a lawyer on a fee consult for any real advice pertaining to your situation. Contact the bar association for recommendations for specific law firms that handle this.

“Bellsouth managers can take their B-Forms and stick them where the sun doesn’t shine. These useless forms will never help these id–ts get their bonuses, no matter how many they give out”.

I don’t know where some of you get this kind of non-sense made up info from. I’ve never met an AT&T manager who enjoyed issuing discipline (including myself). It would be nice if everybody could just come into work and do the job well that they are paid handsomely to perform, but that is definitely not the case with union workers. Do less (or nothing) for more is the standard motto and that is what the management team is combating every minute of every day. I mean seriously....What is the top wage for Prem Techs again??? Roughly $25.00+/Hr across the entire enterprise?? And it’s the ENTRY level job in craft in most if not all regions. Core techs make considerably more ($10.00+/Hr) across the board as well. You can basically walk into a minimum $50,000/Yr job with benefits with NO education and NO experience. What’s the problem? You have to follow policies and rules once employeed? You do realize that YOU work for AT&T and it’s not the other way around? Quit whining please.

Bellsouth managers can take their B-Forms and stick them where the sun doesn’t shine. These useless forms will never help these id–ts get their bonuses, no matter how many they give out.

"Now that you are revealing more details, the Union should be grieving every step of discipline for you. "

The only grievance I'm trying to sustain is against my termination. I filled out grievances for the past occurrences, but the stewards I had forgot to file them on time. Now it seems every step discipline I received may not be official since I was never given a B-Form for them.

Now that you are revealing more details, the Union should be grieving every step of discipline for you. One defense I’ve witnessed is being singled out or made to be an example. My area, a Technician has a SOP Document they are covered on. (Standard Operating Procedures). Multiple subjects are covered ranging from start time, appropriate dress and footwear to Defensive Driving and lunch and break expectations. The crazy part, because of all the different subjects, a Technician can be on Final warning on 4 of the 15 total and still be employed. If found in violation of one of the 4 documented they are fired. If they get a new violation on one of the other 11, it’s just another final warning.
Also, I have seen some hardcore districts fire someone under weak evidence knowing once it goes through the steps the employee will get his job back. The L3 will fire anyway knowing the employee will take up to 3 yrs to get their job back.

"Any meeting or written entry in YouDocs is not considered discipline but coaching. Discipline is issued solely on b forms. You may request copies of any b forms you may have on file at any time. Hope this helps." -pjd

"Your getting pretty specific now and it’s sounding a little fishy. The only way you would be terminated without any prior steps of discipline is for gross misconduct and I highly doubt that multiple steps of discipline leading up to a termination would be 100% undocumented anywhere in the company. You need to contact your local union president if you are/were a represented employee." ‐wru

No B-Forms that requested my signature were ever offered to me for any step of discipline I received. My Union Rep at the 3rd level either didn't notice this or didn't care (I didn't know at the time, either).

I wrote my appeal to the District Vice President stating this in addition to other items that were unjust. The Vice President's office nearly repeated what the Rep wrote, didn't address the specific evidence I pointed out, and told me to appeal to the National President if I disagree. I've already written/sent my second appeal.

15. P. Your getting pretty specific now and it’s sounding a little fishy. The only way you would be terminated without any prior steps of discipline is for gross misconduct and I highly doubt that multiple steps of discipline leading up to a termination would be 100% undocumented anywhere in the company. You need to contact your local union president if you are/were a represented employee.

Thank you for the answers. One last question.

What happens if you were terminated after every step of discipline, but there is no B-Form on file for any step of discipline?

Yes, b forms are required for every step of discipline in the SE.

Another good tidbit of info is that L1 managers rarely handout formal discipline without conferment/direction from their ERM (Employee Relations Manager) and Area Manager. A consensus between all 3 is generally reached before any discipline is taken to ensure said discipline is in line with current policies and duplicated fairly across regions. I’m sure their are wildcats who throw caution to the wind across the enterprise, but I never encountered it. Better to have your ducks in a row as a grievance will be submitted nearly 100% of the time by the employee on any formal discipline entry, no matter what occurred.

As a manager in Core with 21 years of service in the Southeast, I can confirm a b form is required for every formal step of discipline. The technician and union are always provided a copy at time of issuance. Furthermore, a copy is sent to CPSG for digital archival. Any meeting or written entry in YouDocs is not considered discipline but coaching. Discipline is issued solely on b forms. You may request copies of any b forms you may have on file at any time. Hope this helps.

YES. A disciplinary form (whichever that may be...we use the RF3181-B in the Southeast) must be completed and faxed to HR for entry into your personnel records when FORMAL discipline is taken. An electronic copy is also attached to the mandatory discipline form entry in youDocs as well. I’m assuming the OP is a craft/L0 employee and one of the other responders is correct when advising the craft/L0 employee does not have to sign the form. In my 6 years as a C&E/TFS/AFO-B L1 supervising manager, I never had an employee who agreed to sign a B-form. Always wrote “EE declined to sign” or “Employee declined to sign” in the employee signature field and wrote my UID, date/time and signature in place of it. I always thought it was silly of them not to sign as it was not an admission of guilt, but a verification/confirmation that they were covered on the entry. Good managers always document the timeline of coverage and meeting details in youDocs as a record of the coverage anyway in youDocs.

In 11yrs of running crews, we never used any “Official” forms that I know of. We’d keep all meeting notes on blue line and would write up official report on a Word Doc. But I only suspended two people and put one of those guys on warning of suspension and final warning.

Thank you for the answers, but it doesn't answer my question.

I'm not asking if signatures are required for B-Forms.

I'm asking if B-Forms are required for every step of discipline.

My Signature as a Tech... “...Refuse to Sign..”

As a Supervisor of Techs.... I had a stamp made up... “Refuse to Sign..”

No hard feelings... it’s just how things were...

A manager can request you sign it but you can’t be forced to sign it.