Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

Take a look at the 2019 Florida WARN Report - http://reactwarn.floridajobs.org/WarnList/Records?year=2019.

Look at all the employees being laid off - 919 alone at Aramark. Companies eliminate employees all the time. T is one of the better companies to walk away from with benefits and having had a matching 401k. And if you saved some money, you are much better off than what these medium to small companies give. And they are paid hardly anything compared to T

Anyone that has worked in a company that was a hell hole would love working at T. It certainly isn't fun being laid off and no one should go through that. And what I've said isn't going to make that easier. It's just harsh no matter where you are, but a reality.

One of the big reasons to have unions is to keep work in house and not contracted out.

The fact there a hundreds of contractors running around installing Directv and hundreds of Uverse techs that just got laid off shows everything you need to know. Union didn't do the job they're paid to do.

Also in ny experience in another dept, the only folks I've seen really fight for work in house over contractors has been 2nd level and directors (again my experience).

I need a lecture from a guy sitting around getting a fat paycheck the last 23 years lecturing me on how the American Dream is dead. Then explain how Job security is dead in an economy with an unemployment rate of 3.8%. The real problem is people have so much free time and have it so good, they can afford to sit around and opine about how rough they have it, and how it's never been so bad. The reality is you've never had it so good, and you're merely worried about how you're going to keep it going another 10 years to retire with a fat pension, 401k, social security, medicare, and on and on. Yeah, the Dream is dead.

Back in my college days, I became fascinated for a year with Sociology and Psychology - thought about making it a career until I realized it meant working with crazy people.

One of the studies we researched was the findings that Sociopaths make the best CEOs.

They don't care about individuals or people as people. Their decisions are as impassionate as a chess player. I move this pawn here and that rook there. It's all about their version of winning - be it appease stockholders, or personal bonuses, or options - it is never about what is best for their employees - it is always cold, heartless decisions towards cold and heartless goals.

Unless you're a union member of a highly skilled or dangerous profession (pilots, fireman, etc,) joining one is a waste of money and empty promises.

Really ? You think you can get the same benefits and wages on your own that the union had bargained for ? Tell that to the one non union employee in our crew. He’s an sbc “out of region” tech who came to our crew when we were still bellsouth. Does the same exact work as the rest of us. Been in our crew for 15 years. In fact , he goes above and beyond. Probably the best worker in the crew. You know how the company thanks him for being the best ? They pay him approx 15 grand less than the rest of us. He gets less vacation too. Oh and he gets about only a third for what we get for standby pay. Oh and our 1st level supervisor only gives him a satisfactory evaluation even though he himself says he’s an above sat worker. Wanna know why ? The second level told our supervisor to only give him sats because otherwise they’d have to give him a pay raise based on his above sat evaluation. Is that illegal ? I would suspect so but they get away with it. Know why ? Who’s got his back ? Who’s he going to grieve it to ? They can basically fire him anytime with little to no cause. He has no contract in a right to work state. He gets screwed in countless other ways besides pay. He doesn’t have the rights that the rest of us do. THAT’s how the company treats its non union better performing employees. He wanted to join the union but he can’t. Company won’t allow his title to do so. He’s treated like a slave compared to the rest of us. It’s not right. That’s At&t

You do realize T would pay like the cable companies and have next to no benefits if it weren’t for the union.

Get the good vodka, you can’t afford drinking the cheap stuff.

You do realize the company pays your wages and benefits. Not the Union. All the years I was in the union they bargained and got us what we would have probably received anyway. Unions are just now what they claim. That was my point.

You do realize that the company makes the staffing decisions not the union. No union can guarantee employment. Look in the contract and you will find the things the union can do for you. Guaranteed employment is not there.

Well said. The only employees the union helps, are the ones that don't want to work.