This is like telling medical staff that wearing mask is optional, total BS. Soviets send their conscripts to fight against the German's with no weapons, counting on they can pick up a rifle from fallen comrades.
Employees are venturing into unknown risk environment and company to hanging on the CDC's recommendation and not requirement on masks. Do the damn right thing! Require masks and employees and customers. Start the class action suit now, this is beyond ridiculous.
@sau+14lLg7OP. Lighten up Francis.........I’ll take your trouble ticket......hand it over....:)
Don’t smoke or vape.
@sau+14lLg7OP - Well I will tell you what happens to " real telephone men " and they are probably older. If they get this and they may be up there in age - they will die. Simple as that. It does not take a brain surgeon to figure this out. If you would have paid attention to science or health class in high school you would realize this. You take a few common variables in this situation - older people, people with diabetes, maybe some lung or underlying respiratory issues. Your chance of survival if your older and you have one of these variables - is slim. Plain and simple. So if we have an installer, a prem tech, a repair man, or a " real telephone man " and they come across this......... well I hope you get the picture. They are just trying to survive and not k–l someone in their family. They need to let them stay home and cut the curve on this and survive. It's a numbers game.
A mask should be part of the tool kit by now. If you want to take a chance and not wear one, go ahead. Customers probably feel differently when their lives are on the line. T always pride itself for doing the right thing for employees and customers, this is a major failure. Dancing around CDC announcement isn’t leadership or leading. It is CYA and not going the extra inch to protect people.
@nfu+14lLg7OP- I will respectfully agree with you...perhaps upgrades are not needed and could wait......OOS issues, however MUST continue and really is what I meant...putting and keeping folks in service........I wish you and the rest of you the best
@zzi, you weren't a Prem Tech. About half our work on average has to be performed inside the customer's house. We don't have the option of skipping that part.
It may appear that a lot of techs are whining about going in numerous potentially infected houses every day, but this is scary stuff. Besides getting sick ourselves we risk bringing it home to our families and spreading it to other customers.
I get the part about us being part of an essential utility, but when the majority of my jobs are for stupid things that could easily wait a month, it isn't worth risking mine and other people's lives over. Nobody needs to have their perfectly working single pair internet upgraded to 100M bonded pair internet so they can stream and game faster during a worldwide viral pandemic, yet that seems to be the majority of my installs right now. There is now justification for lives being risked for stupid stuff like this. Repairs to keep people in service during this shutdown I agree with. Upgraded internet speed for gamers, a big no!
Not to say working in extreme weather conditions doesn't have its own set of challenges, but this is a whole different ball game.
My gosh.....what happened to us REAL telephone men who worked thru tornadoes, hurricanes, downed electric lines and anything else you could throw at them? Man I made a TON of money working in situations like this and you know what? I look back PROUD. NOW, having said that I don’t blame those who don’t want to go in peoples homes, but isn’t there a way to work thru it? Like maybe try to stay out in the cable and IF you do have to go inside, be quick, politely ask for distance and move on to the next job? Maybe I’m crazy but I guess I’d push my way through this as best I could.
Be careful what you wish for. If AT&T provides us with masks, management will begin requiring a whole new load of compliance procedures regarding Coronavirus PPE. I for one don't want management down the street with binoculars making sure I have my mask on the entire day.
If you or any technician personally fees the need to wear a mask, you are entirely free to get one and wear it. But we don't need more forced compliance in our work day.
Since the CDC Didn't say masks are required, AT&T can't require them either. Quit you baby ranting. Wear one of you feel like you need to.