Landline, mobile and DirecTv workers walk out on AT&T

20 May 2017 by Steve Blum
, ,

It’s a warning shot, not a full on strike, but even so thousands of AT&T employees left work yesterday and don’t plan to come back until Monday. According to the Los Angeles Times, 17,000 members of the Communications Workers of America, which is the primary union representing AT&T employees, walked off the job in California and Nevada, where they’ve been working without a contract for 13 months.

They’re part of a total of nearly 40,000 workers that went on strike Friday. DirecTv techs and AT&T store employees are among them, according to the Times

The strike includes about 2,000 technicians who work in California and Nevada installing and repairing equipment for the satellite television service DirecTV. The union said the walkout marked the first time that AT&T wireless workers in 36 states have gone on strike, which they said could result in some closed retail stores this weekend. Only company-owned stores, not so-called authorized retailers, would be affected…

The two sides have been laboring over a new agreements to replace ones that expired in April 2016 and earlier this year. Workers have complained that AT&T has cut sick leave and disability benefits and asked them to to pay more for their healthcare. Union members also have been worried about the stability of their jobs, contending that AT&T has cut more than 10,000 call center workers since 2011 and moved those jobs to countries with cheaper labor.

The three-day mini-strike came as frustration grew over contract talks that don’t seem to be going anywhere. It follows a one-day strike here in California in March, the result of a dispute over work rules, which was quickly ironed out.

But so long as the big questions remain unresolved, the threat of a indefinite strike, like the 45-day walkout against Verizon last year, remains.