More than 17,000 AT&T employees in the southeastern United States remain on strike as the Communications Workers of America union accuses the company of unfair labor practices as it tries to further delay negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The workers, technicians, customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support AT&T’s network have been on strike since August 16 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Negotiations began in June, shortly before the workers’ five-year contract expired on August 3.
Richard Honeycutt, vice president of CWA District 3, said the union is seeking wage improvements that reflect rising living costs and high inflation, maintaining affordable health care and protecting a second shift of workers to improve their work-life balance. The affected workers are forced to work overtime without notice, making it difficult for them to plan their lives and spend time with their families.
“They had to raise their families over FaceTime because they didn’t know if they were going to have to work until 10 or 11 p.m. So T-ball games and the usual things you try to do with your family, you can forget about them because there’s no certainty,” Honeycutt said. “That’s what we were trying to accomplish when we negotiated for our membership. But as we got closer to the expiration date, it seemed like AT&T wasn’t going to negotiate.”
He pointed out that the union filed an unfair labor practice lawsuit because the company had delays in negotiating a new contract during the 2019 negotiations, which resulted in AT&T headquarters managers attending the bargaining sessions and a tentative agreement being reached shortly thereafter. Despite this, the same delays and problems have repeated and persisted.
“Their movement was very, very minimal and that’s what led us to report unfair labor practices,” Honeycutt added. “As we approached the contract and even after it expired, it was like they were just pushing things back and forth. Their proposal to reach a tentative agreement that members can vote on has no real substance.”
He said AT&T representatives were not able to explain their proposals or make decisions at the bargaining table. And the union is pushing for AT&T to invite the company representatives who decide on proposals to bargaining meetings.
The union recently withdrew from mediation with AT&T through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) because it had entered the talks believing that AT&T would improve its negotiating skills. However, the union viewed AT&T’s stance in mediation as just another delaying tactic to reach an agreement.
“Basically, they continued to negotiate in the same way. And we felt like they were hiding behind the mediation process for some reason,” Honeycutt concluded. “We know it’s impacting customers, and I think our members and I, including the leadership, can say that’s not a good thing.”
“We’re not happy about having to do this. Our members want to do their jobs, work for customers and keep their internet running. It’s not just your landline phone and your home internet. We’re talking about 911 lines – there are lines that serve airports. There are lines that serve various government agencies and businesses. We’re talking about some big things that could go wrong. We’re willing to go back if we just see the right steps taken in terms of addressing the allegations.”
An AT&T spokesman criticized the union for withdrawing from federal mediation, saying the move contradicted allegations of unfair labor practices filed by CWA District 3 with the National Labor Relations Board.
“Regardless of whether a neutral third party is present, there will be no progress without a willingness to compromise,” the spokesperson said in an email. “As we have said from day one, we are focused on reaching a fair and competitive agreement as quickly as possible that benefits our hard-working employees, and that will not change.”
“In the meantime, we remain prepared for all eventualities to ensure our customers receive the excellent service they deserve.”
