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About 37,000 AT&T Workers Go On Three-Day Strike (reuters.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the art-of-the-deal dept.

Roughly 37,000 AT&T workers -- less than 14 percent of the company's total workforce -- began a three-day strike on Friday after failing to reach an agreement with the No. 2 U.S. wireless carrier over new contracts. Reuters reports: This is the first time that AT&T wireless workers are on strike, which could result in closed retail stores during the weekend, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union. The workers on strike are members of the CWA. The workers are demanding wage increases that cover rising healthcare costs, job security against outsourcing, affordable healthcare and a fair scheduling policy. Slightly over half of the workers on strike are part of the wireless segment and the rest wireline workers, including a small number of DirecTV technicians, AT&T spokesman Marty Richter told Reuters. The CWA had said on Wednesday that wireless workers across 36 states and Washington, D.C. would walk-off their jobs if an agreement was not reached by Friday 3 p.m. ET.

23 comments

  1. Contradictory summary? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So we're told that this strike, "which could result in closed retail stores", includes a demand for "job security against outsourcing".

    How in the world do you outsource retail store positions?

    1. Re:Contradictory summary? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Also, going on strike doesn't seem like a good way to convince your employer to not outsource your job.

    2. Re:Contradictory summary? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's technicians.
      Basically the outsourcing would be that they lose their jobs, the parts of AT&T that they were part of the budget of gets big bonuses for having attained such spectacular savings, and the company - separately - hires subcontractors to do what used to be your job for lower worker pay but a higher actual cost to the company after the subcontractor's profit margins are actually taken into account.

      This way, technicians are fired, other technicians are underpaid, whoever slashed the positions at AT&T gets rave performance reviews, thus everybody wins!

      Everybody being because workers and customers aren't people.

    3. Re:Contradictory summary? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So.. all of the services someone non technical would use, and likely would not notice if services degrade.
      sorry, but if your using AT&T internet, your not looking for solid bandwidth or counting on consistent uptime to begin with...

    4. Re:Contradictory summary? by dywolf · · Score: 1

      its also involving linemen. their work gets sub contracted

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  2. replace with kiosk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the stores could be replaced with kiosk's that distribute sim cards, register new accounts, makes payment. And also send web links to your email, most actions can be done online.

    1. Re: replace with kiosk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fully agree, most of it could be done by phone. I could go to an ATT kiosk, retina scan, stick my driver's license / passport whatever in it, my credit card and then I get a selection of phones. I tap on one and a phone drops down a chute. I get the phone and complete everything else that's needed on that. At this point I walk away from the kiosk. I select various plan options, add-ons, pick a phone number and that's it. I am done. Didn't have to talk to one AT&T store employee.

    2. Re: replace with kiosk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fully agree, most of it could be done by phone. I could go to an ATT kiosk, retina scan, stick my driver's license / passport whatever in it, my credit card and then I get a selection of phones. I tap on one and a phone drops down a chute. I get the phone and complete everything else that's needed on that. At this point I walk away from the kiosk. I select various plan options, add-ons, pick a phone number and that's it. I am done. Didn't have to talk to one AT&T store employee.

      Or just order your phone online and get your phone service from an MVNO.

  3. A solution by zuckie13 · · Score: 1

    Let's solve this Baseball Style: Either you come to a quick agreement or You each get to tell give your offer to an arbitrator. He gets to pick one of them. One of you wins, the other will be pissed. Maybe motivation to agree.

    1. Re:A solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The offers are... Go back to work, or McDonalds is hiring.

    2. Re:A solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why in the world would the workers agree to that? Management almost always wins such things.

    3. Re:A solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is illegal to punish employees for union actions in support of their interests as employees.

    4. Re:A solution by sexconker · · Score: 1

      But you can still punish them for missing their assigned shifts.

      Going on a union-approved strike doesn't change that unless your union is protected by a labor contract that says otherwise, or the industry is regulated to the point that they can't fire you and replace you with scabs, and you're not "at will" or in a "right to work" state.

      I can't remember the last time when a company decided to flush the toilet and get rid of all union labor and rehire a fresh workforce at a much lower cost, but I'd like to see it happen in a few industries (and I'd like to see the opposite happen in a few others).

    5. Re:A solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can't enforce an illegal contract giving away federally protected rights. State laws are also lower priority.

    6. Re:A solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Better yet: if the company is publicly traded, force them to continue working and put it to a popular vote on the November ballot.

      (R) vote for management = all employees are fired and blacklisted from the industry for 365 days.
      (D) vote for the employees = all managers and board members are fired and blacklisted from the industry for 365 days. stockholders elect a new board, and the board hires new corporate officers, but the employees select their own managers from within.

    7. Re:A solution by dywolf · · Score: 1

      all hail the corporate overlords and woe be to those who dare stand up for themselves.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  4. Pinkerton by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bring Pinkerton in to shoot the commie freeloading cuntwarts like they did in the 1890's - the last time America was great.. If they don't have that capacity anymore, due to leftist regulation, Halliburton do.
    --
    SuperKendall

    1. Re:Pinkerton by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean Blackwater/Xe/Academi?

    2. Re: Pinkerton by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pinketon is actually owned by a Swedish company now, they're effectively a nameplate.

  5. Nobody will notice by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    When you try to contact them for any problem, you think they have been on strike for _years_.

  6. No sympathy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    AT&T workers going on a 3 day strike is like leaving the boyfriend who beats you for the weekend.

    1. Re:No sympathy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good trade. The Weeknd is a mothafuckin starboy.

  7. And no one will notice. by biggaijin · · Score: 1

    AT&T's service will be exactly the same with all their employees on strike. Their customers will not notice any difference.