Communications Workers of America secure raises for AT&T workers

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — After their prior contract expired in early August, AT&T Southeast workers states engaged in a month-long strike in an attempt to force AT&T to engage in good faith bargaining, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Over 25,500 members of the CWA across eleven states have ratified strong new contract agreements with AT&T Southeast and AT&T West, they said. The AT&T Southeast contract covers approximately 17,000 workers across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

AT&T workers who install, maintain and support AT&T’s network, will receive wage increases of over 19% during the new five-year agreement in the Southeast, the CWA said.

“For 30 days, our members stood up and made sacrifices to fight for the fair contract they deserve. Because of our members’ solidarity and tenacity, AT&T workers now have the support they need to make AT&T a leader in closing our nation’s digital divide,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. “Across these nine states, billions of dollars in federal funds will be rolling in to support a massive broadband rollout, and this contract ensures that both customers and workers will be adequately supported as AT&T bids for and hopefully secures new projects stemming from that funding.”

The CWA said that the contracts covering both AT&T Southeast and AT&T West include significant improvements to overtime and scheduling practices, addressing a key concern of technicians who install and troubleshoot AT&T fiber networks in homes and businesses.

They said that these technicians often cited unreasonable expectations for the time needed to complete work assignments, too many assignments being added to their queue through the day, and over-scheduling of weekend shifts. They also said that all of these things contributed not only to their own diminishing work-life balance, but the level and quality of customer service they are able to provide AT&T customers.

CWA members across the Southeast walked off the job on Aug. 16 after AT&T refused to engage in good faith bargaining and failed to send negotiators who had the authority to make decisions to the table, they said.

The CWA said that during the month-long strike, AT&T suffered operational and financial strain without essential customer service representatives and AT&T installation and maintenance technicians, resulting in the company having diminished capacity to handle outages and repairs.

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