As a craft of 42 years and still working....we have seen the treatment of managers for the last 15-20 years....it has been brutal!!! I can’t for one second understand the mentality of anyone ???? I mean anyone taking that job????? With OT craft made MORE money....your medical out of pocket is WAY more then ours!!! They have c-apped on you so many times??? No Bonus’s, skip raises???? What was the motivation ???? I gotta ask???? Best decision I ever made was turning down a offer to be a foreman.....6 months later 5 managers(first line) were waxed at the same time! The position I was offered was one of them! They were ALL GOOD foreman!!!! This company has been stuck on INSANE for a long time!!! Should have been able to read the hand writing on the WALL!! They hate craft....but they for some reason DESPISE there managers!!!
15 replies (most recent on top)
I am supposedly a manager, however I'm one of the many who do not actually manage anybody.
"Manager" is just a title given to those in the newer jobs that should be craft jobs to keep us from being allowed to join the union.
I don't feel superior to traditional craft people. I feel the company is scamming both non-manager craft and manager craft people in different ways.
Also, while I survived this round, it's just CRAZY the people they've laid off. NICE, HELPFUL network and network security people, high-end D2 people, even some from Labs!
Near as I can figure, they did not so much look at the org chart as the seating chart. If you're in a satellite office, you're vulnerable, and if you're already in a CZ, you're more likely safe, from what I'm seeing.
The CA WARN notifications for this round do not list ANY laid off from San Ramon, for example.
Management simply means not bargained for. Nothing else. The vitriol and disdain expressed by some of you craft or bargained for folks toward anyone that does not fal into that category is downright baffling.
actually YOU are wrong .I refuse OT all the time and go home. Nothing anyone can do..you see we don't all have forced ot ...so while you keep working for free I will be home .People make comments on here and have no idea...btw good luck to all affected that are good people you know who you are...the ahole mgmt? don't feel bad 1 bit... they know who they are as well.
they are not working ot to get "the build done" they are working to put money in their pockets pal!! lol
@szw: I've litrally never heard anyone brag about their management label. Most of us realize it's no more than a label to distinguish between union and non-union workers. It has nothing to do with competancy level. There are good and bad apples on both sides of the orchard.
I find it funny that many these 'managers' with no direct reports always throw around their management status when they are viewed as incompetent by most around them.
I had plenty of say if I worked OT or not.
In 37 years as a core outside tech only twice was I forced OT. I worked enough OT to set myself up, but refused it more than I took it.
You are simply wrong as far as core techs go. Prem Techs? No idea.
My boss was the lowest paid person on the crew. Enjoy that title.
At the end of my career, I didn't work any OT-even though unlimited OT was available.
I retired at 55, enjoy my health care, my pension.
Jealousy is not a debate.
Someone has to do it - 30+ years manager here, 20 as manager - started at Bell Labs - in my case never got to Union side, and in the late 90's saw the writing on the wall for my type of job so I made the jump into management thinking I could make a difference. I would like to think I did since there are so many bad manager supervisors out there, I think my people are happy with me since I receive high eNPS marks from them. It's not always about the money - the hardest part of this job was having to lay off good people. I always let them know it was never about them as a person - we are just numbers to accounting and that's all we'll ever be. Give your team the flexibility, open communications and fair treatment is all I can do.
I’m a manager on the IT side. Though we are only managers in title, as we don’t manage anyone. I’ve worked blue collar jobs when I was younger. My whole family would be considered craft workers. I’d much rather do something with my hands, but the pay is better doing what I’m doing.
Agree with what others have posted regarding the craft vs non-craft comments. It is getting old hearing it and it does not apply to most of the company. If they paid me what I make to go climb a pole or install, I’d be there in a second. I’m sure doing your job is much more rewarding and less stressful than mine.
Good for you...42 years. You sound like one of those OT hogs that is going to work yourself right out of a job. No I’m not management, I’m craft. CWA D4, no contract since April 2018. Everyone keeps working all the OT they can to help get the build done, so they can be forced to other areas to help get their build done.Keep up the good work.
Some of you craft guys crack me up. You will all be gone soon too. No one is safe at T. Landline is dead and with new rules in place starting this year T can refuse to offer copper service. Uverse has been replaced by DirecTV and dsl will fall to 5G. But keep making those horse shoes no one wants
Bragging about OT? Hardly, comparing the benefits to the negatives. That’s what it’s all about. I understand many were hired in as managers and that unstable position is what you get when you don’t have a union. But for those who ignored the warning signs .....working with your hands in the elements kept me and my family’s bacon safe! CLUE ....these are ALL anonymous posts!😂
Some of Us IT workers really wish we could unionize...
I agree with the OP. For some it’s not working outside In the elements, for others it’s a power trip. “I’m a manager at AT&T”. Wow, good for you! You work overtime everyday for free, have worse healthcare, and much more stress. I will stay craft for as long as I’m employed here.
You do realize that the majority of management positions at T have no relation to craft management, don't you? For people in Marketing, Sales, Finance, HR, Business, Labs, and IT, their desired career dictated where they are, not some offer they were given to move from blue-collar work to a white-collar job. Many partook in further education because they had no desire to participate in the manual blue-collar world.
Bragging about OT is like bragging that you don't like seeing your friends and family because you'd rather be working. You conveniently left out that you had no say in whether you worked that OT or not. If you didn't, you'd have been right out on the street well before the foremen.
Everyone has their own motivations and desires. People are going through a rough time. There's no need to kick anyone while they're down. Hold your head high and respect your fellow men and women. Or post sh-- anonymously on a website. That's real cool, too!