Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

You'll still get the same garbage contract like District 4 got. We did the same walkout and resulted in nothing.

How's all that "the company doesn't care if you go on strike, they'll just lock you out" b—s— working for you boys now?

We had a 4 day strike, and the company pulled their head out of their assses and sent someone to the table that can actually bargain.

Remember this next time your contract is up boys!

Just announced-

Company and CWA have reached a tentative agreement for the National Internet Services contract set to expire in July.

Internet Services is a relatively small group, less than 750 employees.

The union has no power anymore. Management will take your place if you strike.

CWA= RIP

@ircy....the members do have leverage but it is of no use when the union leadership will not allow it to be exercised. Contract after contract we vote no until we are blue in the face and yet we still end up with a unanimously ratified contract. The union appears to have no desire for a unified contract date. The Union's management is a lot like us workers, they want to make sure they keep getting a check every 2 weeks.

In related news:

There is an ongoing, rather high priority project in the SE that MUST be done by end of year lest the company feel the pain of a multi-million dollar payout. ( Corporate Real Estate driven so they can sell off their buildings. )

That will be a rather tough project to finish if there isn't anyone to perform the onsite work necessary to make it happen.

Just a thought.

"Strikes and walkouts are no longer a threat to companies anymore. They can replace all those who walk in a couple days. Those vendors are lined up waiting to help."

This is due to the fact that the Unions allowed ( or concessions were made if they agreed to it ) AT&T to offset the regional contracts to minimize the damage if a strike / walkout is called. I squarely place the blame on Union Leadership for this one.

While I agree that the company can simply replace one warm body with another one, replacing them with one who is competent at the job from day one without any training is another story.

My own group has FIVE different Unions within it. The company did this on purpose ( and the Union let them ) so if any one region goes out, the rest of the group made up of other Unions will still be on the job, getting the work done. Yes, the Union knows about it. No, they're too d--n shortsighted or naive to understand the consequences of it.

Personally, I am right with the original posters viewpoints and believe the smartest thing the Union can do is to bide their time until several regions worth of contracts are all up. Go out en masse ( serious strike, none of this 1-2 day silliness ) and we'll see how useless the Company thinks their employees are when the money stops coming in.

Quite difficult to pay down that debt when a large portion of your workforce decides to quit playing your GD games.

I think the Job Offer Guarantee (JOG) is butting heads with the 20/20 plan to retire landline telephone service.

"The management should be done with the training mid July, so if you walk, keep your ears open for the click. CLICK - you are locked out. Few more years and unions will be busted anyway."

Dang, it seems like heard I've something like this before. When could that have been?? Oh wait, for the last 20 years, and some others have been hearing this tired threat for longer than that.

Of course AT&T's secret weapon is an army of contractors, 10's of thousand strong just sitting on their hands, waiting, waiting ever so patiently without pay for the chance to be finally called into service to break the union. All of them quality replacements for the lazy union worker. Anyone remember the "Zero Chaos" bullchit from years ago?

Just kidding, they will try to call back retired employees like they have done before so many times before with zero success, and make "Mary" from Finance buy some steel toed boots for CP2020.

Maybe they will send some managers with a weak heart (so close to retiring) to pole climbing school. They don't care if you drop dead. You are a cost.. Well, pole climbing might be a thing of the past unless you are are Wire/Prem Tech, but 95 degrees with 80% humidity isn't going away anytime soon when you are sent out to "break the union" with your borrowed ladder trying to figure out WTF you are looking at.

Take care cubicle cowboy, and try to find a new threat, this one is played out, sport.

ATT is getting rid of alot of good hardworking Americans. They need to get rid of the pigs and donkeys....

Of course union members still have leverage. How much is up to them. As long as they’ve convinced themselves they don’t and there is infighting amongst locals and districts , the company wins. Divide and conquer is the old but true adage. Promise you this though , no way could management or contractors step in and get the job done if there was a strike. First off, management personnel don’t want to. It’s a question of motivation , to quote “office space”. Second , contractors are only as good as At&t pays them. At&t would have to spend more than than what they spend on the employees striking if they want the job done right. District 3 is key. Hold out for district 3 to become available and there won’t be a need for a strike as the company won’t let one come to pass in that scenario. They know they can’t fill all those positions , and in any quality manner ,at once nationwide.

1 AT&T, 1 Union(CWA/IBEW), 1 contract date, 0 excuses.

Until then we have no true leverage. T & the unions both know that, and I believe neither one of them will ever let it happen .

The management should be done with the training mid July, so if you walk, keep your ears open for the click. CLICK - you are locked out. Few more years and unions will be busted anyway.

Believe!!!! In your thing!

Craft employees are the alpha and the omega.

We are walking out and the duct tape finally gives.

You have to stand together. There is strength in numbers. Verizon walked and they got what they asked for. Be part of the solution, not the problem or just keep complaining and see where it gets you.

My humble opinion, ATT pushed other contracts to either start all contracts at the same time or to bargain a national contract instead of multiple districts (if you noticed everyone is ATT services in the system, my stupid conspiracy theory is they have plans drawn a long time ago and they executing then slowly and surely), 1 sure thing is ATT has a lot of leverage because of the layoffs and the lack of work, T can make everyone do more for less or go home. I am just sure they always win and the negotiations are just a play, union always say we refuse stuffs to make people feel like the getting something for the dues they pay and then go back to the table and let T move stuff around like give you an extra dollar pay then increase your healthcare by what ever % add the cost of living and at the end of the day you are making less than the year before you feel it but don’t know it.

Anyways I know don’t like negative comments even if they are true, so my apologies.

Strikes and walkouts are no longer a threat to companies anymore. They can replace all those who walk in a couple days. Those vendors are lined up waiting to help.

You have nothing to worry of.

They are going to cut jobs before anything changes from the c-ap contract offerto District 4.

I wouldnt wipe with that c-ap cract.

I have no prolem them freezing my pay.

Managers need to understand to start standing up as well.

Insulting is putting it mild

FYFO

AT&T supports everything but their employees.

Shove your numbers.

It’s almost criminal how none of the Unions will work together-that includes IBEW 21 and the other major CWA Unions. Nobody wants to stand up to ATT they would rather disappoint their membership .Why pay dues? ....Grievances haven’t been settled in years

Maybe in the past this would be true, but not now. I am district 4, and we have no leverage at all, we did a four day unfair labor practice walk off in May, and the company didn’t even blink. In fact, they shut down ot for two months, not even to complete a job. The consensus is that if we strike, we will get locked out, possibly for good. All those who think we are indispensable, and a contractor couldn’t do our job well, you are correct, but At&t does not care about customers or quality.

Union employees across the Country were betrayed when CWA & IBEW agreed to bargain with At&t separately within Districts and different geographical areas.

Why would any labor Union agree to such an arrangement? Ans: They are in bed together.

When necessary, the Company also loves to offer sweet-heart deals to poach Union Presidents seducing them into switching sides if employees bring too much heat to local Management.

Don't believe me? Ask some of the old hands still employed and they can tell you about 1st and 2nd level Managers who used to be Presidents of the local unions they represented at the time.

Yep! It's true.

it’s up to each of the members. If the members in district 4, 6,9, legacy t refuse to ratify their contract and wait for district 3 to be out of contract in August , then CWA leaders can call for a nationwide walkout and at&t will really feel that one. It’s up to members to be brave though and to give CWA leaders the real tool to oppose At&t. A nationwide strike would be devastating for At&t. They don’t want that. Mark my words. You’re going to see At&t make better offers in the coming months to legacy t and district 4. They fear the districts coming together with 3.

I have worked in District 3 for 21 years. We have worked without a contract many times. We have never had even 1 day on strike. Last contract we begged our Local president to suggest a walkout over the rising health care costs. She said "we don't want to make the mgrs mad at us" CWA is in bed with T and does not have the guts to call for a walkout.