One by one, goodbye with your golden parachute that all the rest of will never ever see, and enjoy your special enhanced retirement package. Maybe I'll have the opportunity to ask you if you'd like to have fries with that.
13 replies (most recent on top)
@3rxv -
Let me first be clear that I appreciate your service of 40 plus years. That's truly a life dedicated to customer service and that should be recognized. I actually agree with quite a bit of what you have said, I get it. However as i answered back to you before, i do understand most of what you go through because i am involved in it directly. Many managers may not. I don't need to know 100% of what you experience now, that would be unrealistic for any job and would change daily. As a technician your ability to make changes to the process rely on repeated constructive feedback. We know there are roadblocks, many of which are there from individual organizations pushing down directives that they feel are important based on what they see. We make you jump through many hoops, some i agree should be removed, some are there because of regulatory or legal reasons, some are there because people don't follow the process or read the (way too many) communications that come out. The managers supporting the field have roadblocks as well in getting you everything that they want to give you. The other main issue is reliance on remote systems such as dispatch and testing which have outages, and spotty cell coverage, but that's the groans of the modern world. Its an extremely complex network to get new platforms up an running in a timely manner, and the field generally helps make them right by their feedback. If something gets released there is no way to find all the issues without constructive feedback. We can definitely do better and that's for sure, that's on us.
Troubleshooting copper circuits has not changed much, with the exception of validating they can properly convey higher frequencies for more modern technologies. Cable pairs suffer the same issues they always have, noise, water, interference, aging and decay. The test equipment however has gotten way better. You look at one or maybe a few circuits at a time in your area, we look at the performance of millions of them daily. It gives us insight into how the network has changed over time, as well as an ability to see the big picture. I speak to techs from all over the country, and ride with them quite a bit as well. TRUE was NOT designed as a compliance tool even though its getting compliance thrown on top of it, so i assume that's why you are so dismissive of it, if not then there are things about copper pairs you have never learned or been exposed to, and that's okay, there is always more to learn for all of us. That's why i engage technicians of all kinds all the time, just like i am going to take your feedback from this post. Some of it i can act on, some of it i can't.
You know as well as i do at 40 plus years that they have always been after you to get it done faster. The reality is that there will always be numbers to get, and as long as we focus on the numbers the plant and craftsmanship will get thrown to the wayside. No one disputes that, which is why we say don't take too many shortcuts, because then the times get smaller. We have tried to revive proactive work many times, only to have it stall for funding. I will say however that the craft is the one who maintains the plant, not the managers, so slickers and the condition of cabinets need to partly be shared by the technicians.
I will restate the fact that most managers think very highly of technicians, and I am definitely included in that group. I am certainly open to your constructive feedback, just realize that should go both ways. If you could see the things we have to do to justify getting you what you need to do the job everyday you would wonder how it ever gets done. I am sure you feel the same way about the many tasks you accomplish everyday.
Honestly i enjoy this frank discussion as its way more real than just taking potshots at one another. This is my take, I can't speak for all managers but the ones I run with are not anti-tech in any way , quite the opposite.
I wish all craft and managers the best of luck in 2020 and hopefully we can transition this company back to the leader in the industry it once was.
I would like to interject here, I’ve seen you post similar opinions. I can tell by what you say that you’ve been out of the field for a while. I have 40 plus yrs in the field and have worked most outside titles Cable helper, Lineman, Installer & Repairman. As I answered one of your post before, if you haven’t been in the field for the last 5 years you don’t have a clue. What it was like 20 years ago including age of network is very different today.
I don’t care how many Techs you speak to daily, weekly or your knowledge, being in the field these days with all the roadblocks & challenges is totally different than it used to be. I’ve been a repairman for the last 20, yes it’s still tip & ring but there is so much more to it these days, the company and staff have big data micromanaged this job into a toxic, complicated mess.
Still using nearly all same tools and working on same cables (except, test set & end equipment) that my father worked on. The company wants it done in half the time with more roadblocks and way older plant/network that is decaying. Anyone can sit in a comfortable office, calmly analyze a circuit, give advice without the pressure and roadblocks? As time passes we are all can look back with rose colored glasses, a legend in our minds. I’m sure your job has changed in management too and we don’t know all of your challenges.
I understood what the tech was saying about being in the rain at rush hour. He wasn’t just working at that one location. Traffic has increased, roads have widened, they’ve put medians everywhere, 50 year old + cables & network isn’t maintained, pole lines are next to the road, trying not to get stuck in mud, manholes are in middle of lanes, gets dark at 5:30 p. He probably had to try and get to several locations to try and build a pair including bypass sections with string-bys. So many bad pairs now that it’s difficult to find something to measure. Company wants to just change pairs till there aren’t any good ones left because no one is replacing or repairing cables except extreme cases. We had many BPC & trouble locations denied repair due to financials. He’s under pressure to make chicken pie out of chicken c-ap.
Just a few of the issues/roadblocks: The old cable has water in it that looks like Tap, insulation is decaying on pairs, terminals falling apart, slickers all over the place, mid span troubles, broken lashing wire, SAI/Xbox are in terrible condition, co cable wets cutoff & not repaired, brush not cut back for access, old cards, repeaters & SLCS, unable to order needed supplies, customer access, manager calling, software tools not working, bloated software like Dap, all the redundant testing like True Test (waste of time), HPC, unable to speak to any support, it’s all smartchat now which is an event itself etc... I could add more paragraphs of roadblocks but you get the picture.
We are adapting to the new fiber plant and placing microcells. We still are a long ways from stopping work on a decaying copper network with multiple systems that aren’t being supported by manufacturers anymore. There is still a lot of circuits on copper, broadband, pots, dsl, T1’s, Une’s, 911,centrex, PCdata etc.. Just my two cents backing up the younger techs.
You people? lol...I'm not a VP, i came from the field, started as a lineman, from a family of telephone men and women, but nice try. You are paid well for what you do, simply trying to point out you are trying to sound like your job is not capable of being done by someone else. I wish that wasn't the case, its just not the thinking that goes on anymore. You were up in the bucket with an umbrella, during rush hour(you are stationary so not sure why that is relevant) and making north of 60 dollars an hour because at 5 on Friday you may be in overtime or possibly double time. That's the job, that's what you signed up for. I think that's great, i am glad when someone makes a good living that can support their family.
Many many managers hold technicians in high regard , regardless of whats going on in your yard and the b—s— that the union tells you while not negotiating toughly. You believe the management vs union sh– because it helps you to think you are a part of a tribe. The reality is that your tribe and the management tribe have colluded for years at the upper levels and you keep with the narrative that its us against them. Some managers believe this c-ap as well. The contract is a good thing, it spells out the boundaries and is fairly easy to follow. Some people abuse things, managers and techs alike, in a company with 250k people that is inevitable.
I never said that craft doesnt work hard, quite the opposite, what does you splicing fiber have anything to do with T1's. A T1 is a simple circuit at a low frequency, usually on a designed circuit, so like i said, not that difficult to troubleshoot, at its simplest level its either a metallic issue, interference, customer equipment or repeater problem, and sometimes a little bit of all of that. 20 years ago they were hard, today we give you a test set with a spectrum analyzer and copper testing tools in it to see more about that circuit than you could have ever wanted. It can take some time to fix though, that's a given. Prem Techs and other titles who work xDSL could be trained on T1 and pick it up fairly quickly. That doesn't mean they would be as good at it as you however. Finding cable troubles is both a skill and an art form, but when the approach to the circuit is properly structured it can be made less mystical. Managers have skillsets as well, just different than yours. We rely on you to safely complete the task and soothe the customer, you rely on us to make sure there are customers to work on, and money for fuel, tools, vehicles, materials and yours and our paychecks .The number of people who support you that you cannot see or will never meet would astound most technicians.
You allude to the fact that working with your hands is a real job, which is short sighted at best. Without people behind desks you would not have anything to install or repair, or tools, trucks, and materials to use. I think its funny how a craft person can call managers lazy or worthless but have never done the job, meanwhile being hypocritical in the same breath about the jobs they do. We are way more exposed to you than you are to us, believe me.
Kudos to you on going to youtube or google i could not agree more. Anyone who is very good at their job has gotten there by some amount of self study, due to curiosity and natural drive or instinct to learn more. Some of us have worked on so many types of networks that we have a very firm grasp of transmission theory and can help you out in a rough spot. There are some managers who could absolutely teach you a thing or two about troubleshooting the particular network you work on, but many could not I agree. That wasn't what they were hired to do in some cases. I do believe that first line managers should know the job their technicians do extremely well, some do, some don't, some are willing to learn and some are not. Many of us dont have time to teach skills anymore and that rubs me the wrong way as well. I do when i can though, and i also stay open to learn from techs and other managers and industry folks alike.
Unfortunately as the population ages, AT&T is not the cultural icon for the new generation like it was for gen x and older populations. We all need to take stock in our history, be emboldened by it, and look inward to challenge our selves to learn new things and be ready to adapt in 2020. Good luck to all, teach your kids to keep their resumes sharp and be ready to take new jobs as their value increases.
That's a great example of what a big part of the problem here is my VP friend, that the techs must be lazy and just exaggerate their circumstances. You see, I want to like you people, to get along with you people, but you prohibit that. You give some great advice, but let me set the record straight my friend. As a matter of fact, I was up in the bucket yesterday at 5'oclock rush hour, pouring rain, clearing pairs. Somebody has to fix the old T1's, they are still out there unfortunately. And you might be surprised where they are working too, might want to get out of that office my VP friend and visit the field. I'm not just some dinosaur either, I splice damaged fiber cables weekly, ribbon and non-ribbon. Want to know where I learned how? From watching Youtube videos, company wouldn't send me to school, not in the budget. Oh and by the way, my job isn't quite as easy as the company videos make it look. I honestly can't remember the last time my boss called me, but I do get a lot of calls from customers, testers, business office, & some assorted beancounters sometimes. Let me guess what got to ya, the comment about giving them tools and a truck? What's wrong with that? Can't stand the thought of working for a living? What's it going to take Mr VP for us to get along and stop looking down our noses at one another? I don't want to live that way, so who's gonna make the first move? Oh and Ma Bell's death wasn't a day too soon for me.
"T1 trouble in the rain, in 1973 aerial plant, in the hood, & call them every 15 minutes asking them why they aren't done yet."
The world is changing my friend, just enjoy what you do. You are in a protected job working on outdated technology that is fairly easy to troubleshoot. For every tough trouble you do there are many easy ones. I am betting you don't work in the rain as much as you would like us to think, and i never realized the hood had so many T1's . If your boss is calling you every 15 mins i am assuming the reason is you.
i realize that its uncomfortable to think you have spent many years of your life working on and learning skills that would take you to the end of your career, only to have it be pulled from under you nearing it's close. Our traditional business is on the decline, but the managers you speak against are in the same boat as you. the telephone company as we knew it is dead, the new company is struggling against its roots to be something else, and none of us on this board have any control over its direction. the best thing to do is work on yourselves and quit wishing ill of others. Go reinvent yourselves, dont expect Ma Bell to come back because she has been laid to rest.
at Blasé’s level there is mandatory retirement at 65.
They quickly announced BBlase replacement with a TW person. I would say Stankey is just building his team to come
Bill Blase "retires" the same week Stankey announces they are looking at finding cost savings with benefits changes. Connect the dots?
Good to see some of the dead weight being dropped. I am a compassionate person though and do hope another door opens for them. I say give them a truck and some tools and dispatch them on T1 trouble in the rain, in 1973 aerial plant, in the hood, & call them every 15 minutes asking them why they aren't done yet.
You think there’s any chance Blase just actually retired? Our hr is a complete mess, and he needed to go. But he has been here forever. I just don’t give T enough credit for actually getting rid of someone who protected the old timers ways.
@wmz - Bill Blase the Senior Executive Vice President for HR announced his retirement yesterday. To me, that one is the actually the most telling of the more recent retirements
What executives left other than cfo and some legal people?
Millions, Free Healthcare, Stock options cashed in, Enhanced Pension and Perks for life