While AT&T wireline workers received a pay increase, the new contract reportedly does not address their pressing issues, such as unreasonable deadlines for completing work assignments, additional assignments added to the work queue throughout the day and overscheduling weekend shifts. They are also concerned about not having a work-life balance and missing their children’s and family events due to frequently changing daily schedules. The new contract covers 17,000 technicians, customer service representatives, and others who maintain and support wireline telecommunications services in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. AT&T also agreed to a new tentative agreement with AT&T West.
AT&T wireline workers across the Southeast have long expressed dissatisfaction with harsh working conditions and unfair pay. Concerns over heavy workloads, long hours, and insufficient compensation drove thousands of Communications Workers of America (CWA) union members to strike, bringing the company’s operations to a standstill for nearly a month.
The strike, which ended yesterday, highlighted significant worker grievances, particularly among wire technicians, who have seen alarmingly high turnover rates due to low job satisfaction.
A survey of 647 technicians revealed that nearly 65% of respondents sought other employment opportunities. This figure accounts for roughly 13% of the entire tech workforce in the southeastern region. One anonymous technician in Georgia said, “The workload is very unrealistic for one person to do in eight hours… We are just told by management if you don’t like it here, you can go work somewhere else.”
Another technician from Tennessee lamented the decline in job quality, saying, “It used to mean something to be a technician at AT&T. Competitive wages, better benefits, and loyal technicians… Not anymore. The pay is not competitive.”
They said these conditions underscored the urgency of a fair contract to address the workers’ demands for better wages, healthcare, and a manageable workload.
AT&T and CWA Reach Tentative Agreement with Wage Increases and Healthcare Improvements
After a month of negotiations and a strike that disrupted services across nine states, AT&T and CWA District 3 announced they had reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract. This contract marks a significant win for union members, offering a 19.33% wage increase across the board, with an additional 3% raise for Wire Technicians and utility operations workers.
However, the CWA did not address whether there would be additional changes in the work-life of wire technicians who complained frequently about:
— Unreasonable deadlines for completing work assignments
— Additional assignments added to the work queue throughout the day
— Over-scheduling of weekend shifts
The contract includes key healthcare provisions in addition to the wage increases. Premiums will remain steady for the first year and then be reduced in the second and third years, with only modest increases in the final year. These terms aim to address major employee concerns and potentially improve worker retention in the coming years.
Union members will soon vote on ratifying the agreement,