NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Communications Workers of America, or CWA union, announced its District 3 members working for AT&T Southeast have gone on strike, and that includes workers here in Tennessee.
The CWA said 17,000 workers are currently on strike.
The local Nashville chapter, CWA Local 3808, is picketing outside of the AT&T building, or the "Batman Building," downtown, wearing red.
The CWA said AT&T Southeast employees are on strike to protest unfair labor practices committed by management during negotiations for a new union contract.
"AT&T is bargaining in bad faith," said local CWA president Josh Foster. "The first thing out of the company's mouth was that they were shocked we were asking so much for our wire techs who they then said were second class employees."
"Treat us with respect," said Clint Woody, who's worked at AT&T in West Nashville for 10 years. "We want to make it better, and people that come after us, we want it better for them, just like people tried to do before us."
The strike includes employees who work in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and in Tennessee. It involves people who work as technicians, customer service representatives, and others who install, maintain, and support AT&Ts residential and business wireline telecommunications.
The CWA has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board Against AT&T.
The union claims the company was not bargaining in good faith, was engaging in surface bargaining, and not sending representatives to the bargaining table with the authority to make decisions. It also accuses AT&T of reneging on agreements.
CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said in a statement: “Our members want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers deserve. It’s time for AT&T to start negotiating in good faith so that we can move forward towards a fair contract.”
A spokesperson for AT&T shared this statement with NewsChannel 5:
“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.
“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.
“We have various business continuity measures in place to avoid disruptions to operations and will continue to provide our customers with the great service they expect.”
NewsChannel5 will continue to update this story as picketing begins.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at brianna.hamblin@newschannel5.com
Get ready to get inspired - Tad found a second purpose later in life, turning his hobby into his full-time gig. He helps the planet, helps homeowners and finds fulfillment in a slower pace after being on the front-line during the pandemic.
-Rebecca Schleicher
