AT&T workers on strike in Southeast

ATLANTA — More than 20,000 AT&T workers remained on strike throughout the Southeast on Monday after an unexpected walkout last week.

Members of the Communication Workers of America went on strike against the telecommunications giant at midnight Friday. The union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing AT&T of unfair labor practices and of bargaining in bad faith, and there have been no official talks since then, union officials said.

That means there’s been no move toward a settlement, said Beth Allen, union spokeswoman.

“We don’t really know how long this will go,” Allen said. “We are prepared to stay out as long as it takes.”

The workers’ four-year contract with AT&T expired Aug. 3. Workers had previously authorized a strike, but both sides had signaled a willingness to compromise. Even late last week, there were no signs that a walkout was coming.

The call to strike came late Friday after talks stalled. Union officials said the talks were pointless because AT&T had sent negotiators with no authority to make the decisions needed for a new contract.

The union in a statement also alleged that AT&T changed an agreement regarding how the two parties meet and bargain over contracts.

“Our talks have stalled because it has become clear that AT&T has not sent negotiators who have the power to make decisions so we can move forward toward a new contract,” union District 3

Vice President Richard Honeycutt said.

The company responded with a statement saying it was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision, and it disputed the union’s allegations.

“We remain ready to sit down with union leaders to negotiate a new, improved contract for our employees. Our bargaining team is negotiating this contract with CWA leaders in the same way we have successfully done with other CWA contracts over the years. We listen,

engage in substantive discussions and share proposals back and forth until we reach agreement,” a spokesman for AT&T told The Dallas Morning News.

The company noted in a statement Monday that the strike involved less than 8% of its employees.

The workers on strike across nine states are technicians, customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support the company’s landline and Internet line services. Since the walkout started, the company has relied on managers, supervisors and executives to keep the system running.

But AT&T has acknowledged

that most of that effort is aimed at maintenance and emergency repairs. Most new installations are being postponed.

The union said workers are striking in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The union last met Aug. 20 with the company representatives, who handed out proposals to bargaining committee members suggesting reduced paid sick time, increased responsibilities for some technicians, and more, according to the union.

The strikes come less than a week after union members

initiated a strike in Florida and filed unfair labor charges against AT&T, accusing the company of “illegally disciplining members for wearing union memorabilia” and engaging in protected union activities.

The Dallas-based company has annual revenue of about $170 billion a year. It includes the remnants of BellSouth, which for more than two decades was the largest of the seven regional phone companies.