Across the Southeast, 17,000 AT&T workers across nine states have gone on an unfair labor practices strike, and Middle Tennessee is no exception.
Workers in Lebanon were among the thousands to walk out of their workplaces at 2 p.m. Central Time last Friday, and they鈥檝e been on the picket line ever since.
鈥淥verall, everybody just wants AT&T to do the right thing, so we鈥檙e out here showing them that we鈥檙e serious about this and that we need them to come back and bargain with us in good faith,鈥 Lebanon AT&T worker and union member Jacob King said. 鈥淓veryone has high hopes that that鈥檚 going to happen.鈥
There were 14 individuals who walked out of AT&T鈥檚 Lebanon office, which King said was the whole office.
鈥淭here鈥檚 different feelings around it,鈥 King said. 鈥淥f course, we all want to be at work, but we understand that by walking out of work that we鈥檙e fighting for a better cause. We鈥檙e fighting for bigger things and for our futures and the futures that come after us.鈥
The walkout and strike were called by Communication Workers of 性视界APP for District 3, which has been bargaining with the company regarding its contract since June.
鈥淥ur 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,鈥 CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said in a press release when the strike and walkout was called. 鈥淥ur members want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers deserve. It鈥檚 time for AT&T to start negotiating in good faith so that we can move forward towards a fair contract.鈥
CWA District 3 encompasses Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The union鈥檚 contract with AT&T expired on Aug. 3.
鈥淲e鈥檝e continued to work in good faith without a contract and we had to file unfair labor practices against the company because our negotiation team was going to the table ready to work on this contract and when it came time to put pen to paper, the company side of the table was then telling our team that they were not authorized to make changes,鈥 local CWA President Josh Foster said.
The changes that CWA was bargaining for included better health benefits and pay raises, according to King.
鈥淭he whole point of this strike is just to get AT&T to come to the bargaining table and bargain with us,鈥 King said.
Workers on the Lebanon picket line are outside their workplace in five-hour shifts.
鈥淭he community support has been excellent,鈥 King said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had people drive by and support us, lots of honks, lots of waves, people stopping and asking what鈥檚 going on out here because lots of people don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 happening during a strike.鈥
As of Wednesday, AT&T and CWA have entered into federal mediation, according to information released by CWA.
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