AT&T worker strike continues in NC, service outages loom after employee contract negotiations sour

GARNER, N.C. (WNCN) — AT&T union workers remain on strike as they negotiate a new contract with the telecommunications company. The strike has begun to affect customers who are experiencing service disruptions.

An estimated 17,000 members of the Communications Workers of America are on the picket lines in North Carolina and across several southeastern states. Protests began Friday, Aug. 16, the same day some AT&T customer reported Wi-Fi outages.

In a statement, AT&T said, “We’re disappointed that union leaders would call for a strike at this point in the negotiations, rather than directing their energies toward constructive discussions at the bargaining table. This action needlessly jeopardizes the wages and well-being of our employees.”

“The outages are ongoing because they’re not trying to bargain in good faith,” Nick Savage of CWA local 3611/district 3 told CBS 17’s Baron James in Garner.

Many of those on strike are technicians, customer service representatives or working to install and maintain AT&T’s services. Union workers are demanding better pay and benefits from AT&T to better serve, they say, their families and AT&T customers.

“I’m all for unions,” Garner homeowner Joe Ciappa said. He added that he needed the workers’ help after his AT&T internet service went out. When the company couldn’t resolve his issues, Ciappa uncovered his own solution — taking his business to the competition.

“I got Spectrum the next day,” Ciappa said.

AT&T began sending customers new modems so they could troubleshoot issues on their own.

The telecommunications giant also reached out to customers via text:  “Hi, it’s AT&T. There’s an internet outage in your area.”. The outage was something Nia Lawson, who works from home, became aware of after her home security system failed to connect to the internet.

“Sorta leaves you powerless. Yeah, and also, It’s a safety concern because if you don’t have your security system working, you feel like you have to be at home,” Lawson said.

She was one of the lucky ones. Her Wi-Fi was up and running again after several days without service.

The wait continues for other customers.

The strike also continues for AT&T union workers, who have been in contract negotiations since June and have not had a contract since Aug. 3.

“It may last up to- it’s no telling, to tell you the truth,” Savage said.

CWA said they and AT&T entered into federal mediation, and had their first meeting with the mediator Wednesday morning.

“We are hopeful that mediation might lead us to the agreement our members deserve,” wrote the CWA bargaining team in a statement sent to striking CWA members.

CWA reported they filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against AT&T for not bargaining in good faith, engaging in surface bargaining, and not sending representatives to the bargaining table with the authority to make decisions.

In statement to CBS 17 on Tuesday, an AT&T spokesperson said, “CWA’s claims of unfair labor practices are not grounded in fact. We have been engaged in substantive bargaining since day 1 and are eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees. As evidence, we have reached 3 agreements this year covering more than 13,000 employees, including our most recent tentative agreement with District 9 (west). We remain committed to working with District 3 (southeast) in the same manner.”

The spokesperson on Tuesday also said the company was “disappointed that union leaders would call for a strike at this point in the negotiations, rather than directing their energies toward constructive discussions at the bargaining table.”

In a subsequent statement on Thursday, another spokesperson with AT&T said, “We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement with CWA District 3, and we suggested the use of a federal mediator to ensure there is no question about either side’s commitment to this process. Until a deal is reached, we have business continuity measures in place so that we can continue to provide our customers with the great service they deserve.”

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