The Internet & Entertainment Field Services (Prem Techs) and Technical Field Services (Core Techs) will be merged under one leadership structure. It has been delayed from first to second quarter. This will result in massive layoffs on the core tech side the company will shift that work to Prem Techs. Leadership teams will be combined and cut.
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It’s the union who keeps us apart.
One dispatch and done. Does that sound crazy?
Again, there is not enough headcount for only us in “core” to do all of the uverse work, so that leads to some prem techs getting upgraded. It would be impossible for us to do all of the work. If you think so give me your reasons.
Does it really matter????? Yep another i&r vs prem post. Don’t you see that’s what management wants? The rift between us.. I know plenty of good techs on both sides. I as an i&r tech have a lot of respect for both sides. This rift is stupid....Can’t you see it yet????? The company doesn’t want either of us......the sooner you see that and the more people who realize that then just maybe (and I’m being hopeful here) maybe premtechs and I&r can finally come together and stop this stupid (I’m better than you are) fighting and band together and really f--- this company for the better of all of us and our families....I’m sure the they will be plenty of negative comments and that is your right to do so...But please just take a minute and think about this post. The company doesn’t give a sh-- about either of us. How about we show them that we care about each other? And no I haven’t been drinking the kool aid. . I’m just a tech trying to make a life for his family and live what time I have left to the fullest.. it’s amazing how your thinking changes and priorities change when you have a time limit
It’s not a merger... core will take over the uverse side and they (uverse) will play by core rules. Not going to be a comfortable transition.
@WGydODq-2wmp you guys really need to get over yourselves. please stop acting like your job is so difficult, and a PT is so stupid they could not possibly comprehend. you arent performing brain surgery or mapping the human genome. jesus christ the nerve of some you
@WGydODq-2wmp When the prem tech title was created they only did work at the premise. They couldn’t even run a drop. The job has expanded over the years doing more and more work that only core did originally including Drop, Terminal, SAI, Fiber, removing bridge tap etc.
From what I've seen, MAYBE 10% of the PT's have the ability to be trained to to do Core work. The thought that that they have been learning over the years is a very generous thought.
The Union is a joke nowadays!
Management is getting worse they no nothing but the number set as the bogey is why company is going down!
they have not trained the young premise techs enough to trust in manholes and other dangerous operations hell unless you have an old school manager i bet the manager does not know the proper procedures in man holes, pits, and general safety
i have seen good copper techs have trouble running trouble on fiber because the counts are screwed and closures are messy not to mention the length of some runs , just imagine prem techs figuring it out by themselves with know senior techs overseeing
Another I&R vs Prem tech post...been a while...yawn
I am sure with the Pension rates next year,some will jump. Loosing $60,000 in a pension, will give some a reason to jump.
Has there even been talks of an ERB/SIPP for those core techs ?
Only way to get rid of senior Core MSTs is by attrition. We will retire when we’re good and ready to do so!! $$$$ make more early retirement offers and see the flood gates open of techs leaving.
"Prem tech blow" you need to get informed. This is happening and the Field Operations president comes and and says it is. There are great nuggets of info in the videos I mention below. Tell me how can we do the amount of work without Prem techs? In my garage there are three of us core guys,and 12 Prems. It would be impossible to do it without some of them.
Prem techs are useless runners and have outlived their usefulness. Buh Bye.
If you watch the 4th quarter town halls for field Operations and the FaST group you will see that we will have complete single dispatch by end of 2019. There is no way that is possible without Prem techs. There is too much work for core only. So that only leads to one option, they will let Prems do cable work. I am guessing they will surplus Prems that arrived after the 2012 benefit changes.
We don’t care what you disgruntled PTs think. You’re just mad because we have more skills make more money than you and will leave with a $400k pension plus a 401(k) and about a million dollars at our retirement party!! what will you have? A job where they give you no more money and make you do more and more work with zero pension and no job protection. You think your sh--ty contract is going to get any better?
@WGydODq-1klz uhm i dont know, EVERY DAY ?? you keep failing to understand, the company does not want to let go of PT because they make more sense financially. they "could" let all PTs go, but they won't. if core is bringing in 200k a year, that alone should tell you why they want you gone. OVERPAID. the bottom line is the bottom line.
When was last time anyone installed U-verse TV that’s a joke right?? Dream on PT...core is been on OT for years! A lot of techs bringing in over 200k year after year! Plus think about it with prem techs appendix they don’t even have to surplus you they just say bye-bye you have an a zero protection buddy
Funny, yes the Prem techs that moved to mst titles have higher metrics.... Only because they can’t repair anything or troubleshoot!! Just cut prs and hack & run temps because old lead cable is scary to them.
@WGydODq-krz you have been doing bonded pair installs, and prem techs have been working in the cable. if you havent installed uverse TV and DTV, then no, you cant do everything. Job planning for TV installs and knowing the ins and outs of issues associated with that will actually take you longer to learn than you think. I bet your metrics will be sh-- compared to a PT. why do you think they keep giving prem techs more work and responsibility, while giving core a freeze on overtime ? they are tired of overpaying you. working in the cable isnt difficult. they want to move forward with PTs that are a much better value.
I was wondering why Bill Huber(senior VP- Technical Field Services) left. This answers that.
More troll Dribbble .... yes there is a merge coming. Guess what most core techs have a min of a 19 years seniority!!....PTs even senior ones aren’t even close to that maybe 10 years max. Guess what surplus goes by seniority who do you think that’s left To go first??? Plus think about it with common sense....MSTs already doing bonded pair install‘s they can do everything....Let the cheap DTV contractors do the dish installs!!
Bye bye PT position
is there any truth to this that this is a result of AT&T being sued by the union for having prem techs work fiber and dtv even though it was not in their job scope ? i heard something about an arbiter ruling prem techs were supposed to get back pay for fiber and dtv work but instead will just bring prem techs under core ?
They will probably do some some surplussing before the merger....when prem techs were promoted to core in my area they typically blew the core guys out of the water as far as metrics go.
@WGydODq-agw but arent the union bargaining teams mostly made up of CORE techs ? why would they negotiate that? that doesnt make much sense. even if they do retire that position, wouldnt they surplus CSTs into the new position, and layoff lowest seniority prem techs ?
Discruntal Prem tech story, dream on!
Sounds like A Prem Techs fantasy story
How exactly? By job title - they will retire the core title and replace with a lower position.
Some hard bargaining from the Union got the perm a new title and screwed the core
If this is true I feel sorry for all customers left with only A Prem Tech. It's very easy for a core tech to take up the monkey work of running a cat 5 and putting up a drop but let's see these Prem techs trouble shoot anything significant other than an open.
I know they started hiring prem techs again after everything had been on hold, what does that tell you.
How exactly could they lay off CORE guys if it goes by seniority ? wouldnt they HAVE to lay off prem techs first ? also, would this put prem techs on a new pay scale ? group 1, group 2 ? or is still just appendix J ? I'm sure they would find a way not to pay prem techs much more money. If they didnt pay for fiber, DTV, or pair changes, i doubt they will give a raise just for OFFICIALLY being able to work between SAI and terminal even though many have been doing that already.
In ibew 21 land the merger will happen with pay increased to core pay as we train are replacements over a 5yr time frame
It’s easier for AT&T to phase out core techs then to merge them. Which is what they have been doing.
The amount of debt that AT&T picked up and the inability to pump its stock will be the driving force for workforce reduction.
In District 9, there is a shortage of PremTechs, especially in the Bay Area. This is the reason many PremTechs have been on long-term loans.
Will there be mass layoffs in the west coast? Probably not. The stock market will decide this, not your manager.
Looks like the union has dealt Core techs a downgrade to save the Prem tech job. The Core Techs will be weeded out, retired and replaced by lower wages. They will churn low pay Prem Techs for cost savings. This is no longer a career company
The days of making a career in the field for ATT are over. This company is no longer a good corporate citizen. Just a Hedge fund mentality, get your bonus today management because you will be gone tomorrow. The outsourcing , the layoffs, the debt, crumbling infrastructure, that is Randall's legacy, and he got paid big bucks to screw the average worker. Thanks Randy
And thanks to the CWA for participating in this fraud. Look what they have done - nothing
And the Union bosses will sit idly by eating steak and lobster until there is no one to pay dues left.
“Why would they layoff core techs instead of prem techs?”
This has been years in the making...Because core techs are paid a lot more then prem techs and the contracts are worse for the company. Prem techs have slowly been learning and doing core techs jobs, with the technology and automation AT&T has now they can have one tech handle the premise and field work... Prem tech wasn’t such a disposable position now was it?