JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of AT&T employees in the Jacksonville area joined thousands of other workers across the Southeast in a strike Monday over “unfair labor practices” during recent contract negotiations.
Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, released a statement Friday to explain the reasons behind the filing of the unfair labor practice charge.
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In that statement, CWA accuses AT&T of “not bargaining in good faith, engaging in surface bargaining, and not sending representatives to the bargaining table with the authority to make decisions.”
Citing those reasons, CWA workers across AT&T Southeast decided to go on strike on Friday.
“Our union entered into negotiations in a good faith effort to reach a fair contract, but we have been met at the table by company representatives who were unable to explain their own bargaining proposals and did not seem to have the actual bargaining authority required by the legal obligation to bargain in good faith,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. “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.”
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Angelita Rivers, former president of Communications Workers of America, attended one of the strikes held in the Jacksonville area Monday at the corner of Alford Place and Hendricks Avenue in San Marco.
“The goal of today is to bring awareness to the company that the members are serious,” Rivers said. “We want a fair contract.”
Dozens of workers in other Jacksonville-area locations also joined the strike on Cassat Avenue and Town Center Boulevard in Fleming Island.
AT&T posted a statement on its website Friday in response to CWA’s claims.
“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. We remain committed to working with District 3 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.”
AT&T, Aug. 16, 2024
According to the CWA, the strike involved over 17,000 technicians, customer service representatives, and others who install, maintain, and support AT&T’s residential and business wireline telecommunications network in nine states which include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Rivers said they anticipated staying out there “as long as is necessary,” and shared a message to the community.
“To support, bear with us. If you’re having troubles, just bear with us. We want our employees back to work,” Rivers said. “They want to come back to work. Just work with us.”