When does the MOA for not surplussing outside techs expire? End of 12/23 or when contracts expire? Haven't seen the signed document or a copy.
31 replies (most recent on top)
MOA ends 2023 but the company plans on restarting fiber projects and is still in a long process of decommissioning the old network and equipment.
Free cash flow at 15 billion and improving. The CWA members won’t sign a regressive contract.
“Your contract is worth little more than the paper written on. When a new contract is presented, you either cave to T’s demands or ALL the work goes to contractors, you decide. The Union has zero leverage any longer….”
100% promise you this post won’t age well.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/att-union-agreement-29000-technician-jobs
“ These jobs are protected you can’t lay off while contractors are doing the same work. There’s language in our contracts that prevent this.”
Your contract is worth little more than the paper written on. When a new contract is presented, you either cave to T’s demands or ALL the work goes to contractors, you decide. The Union has zero leverage any longer….
“You’re right, which is why they are engaging vendors more and more every day.”
If you’re talking about wireless I wouldn’t know but in the central office and enterprise class business circuits we are seeing zero % loss of work. There are no vendors working on customer circuits in conjunction with union help. I see this vendor growth in other areas. New central office equipment installs are done by vendors and have fora very long time around 20 years now. Building maintenance we’ve lost almost all of that union title. Construction has been losing work to contractors burying cable and hanging fiber with the terminals pre spliced but all of this we’ve already lost. These jobs are protected you can’t lay off while contractors are doing the same work. There’s language in our contracts that prevent this.
“ It is slow but automation hurts non technicians more. A technician drives to the customer location or last mile plant and repairs it or works the service order. You cannot automate this like you can the rest of the business.”
You’re right, which is why they are engaging vendors more and more every day.
“ As far as them gutting the contract we will never vote for that and this has never happened before.”
Good strategy, they don’t care Frank. You really think your votes mean anything? The company is on life support, this will absolutely destroy your contract. Don’t vote “yes” , you’ll be on the picket line for years. You do you though.
To you that don’t physically touch the telephone network automation is coming for you. The good news is the software can cost as much as you do so it takes a very long time to automate. You’ve likely got years left don’t worry about it.
Been here 27 years. I have seen very very few outside or central office technicians lose their jobs. In fact it’s nearly zero unless they were fired the contract rules always saved the junior people. Attrition and protections have taken care of it thus far.
As far as them gutting the contract we will never vote for that and this has never happened before. There is no reason the executive team should risk losing there millions trying to bust the union. We make the company billions.
With technological advancements in telecom, the need for technicians has significantly diminished as automated processes make human resources redundant.
It is slow but automation hurts non technicians more. A technician drives to the customer location or last mile plant and repairs it or works the service order. You cannot automate this like you can the rest of the business.
With technological advancements in telecom, the need for technicians has significantly diminished as automated processes make human resources redundant.
“ Once those contracts expire we will live by the new contract that we vote on.”
You are delusional, T will gut your contract and you’ll be jobless inside 3 years. Good luck.
T wants to reduce headcount.
If the Union employees walk off the job there will be no coming back. The company would love to push hourly paid first lines to the field.
Maybe THIS time the company will break the Union. I've been here a few decades and it alway the same. The company is going to bust the Union "THIS" time.
If you are non bargained, buy your boots, take the online classes and prepare to be sent miles away from your home for strike duty. You will quickly understand that the company hates you as much it hates the Union employees.
You are not special. If there is a strike that last more than a few days, this lesson will be burned into you and you will never forget it.
Contractors only do construction or building maintenance for the most part. Union workers are protected from layoff when contractors do the same job in the same city.
People saying they will replace union workers with contractors fast are uninformed with the contracts we have. Once those contracts expire we will live by the new contract that we vote on.
T wants to reduce headcount.
If the Union employees walk off the job there will be no coming back. The company would love to push hourly paid first lines to the field.
I would assume that the MOA is up now any they are free to surplus on 12/15. If they make the announcement on 12/15, affected employees aren’t off payroll until the end of March 2024 and aren’t officially considered to be in surplus status until 1/1/2024. I have no idea if there will be one, but the MOA is up if they want to announce a surplus on 12/15.
“ Sorry it’s a complex job and takes many years to be good at it.”
Many still aren’t very good at it, which is why a cheaper contractor is the direction the company is heading swiftly.
A systems tech is required to know much more than how to install 2 screws. They do emergency calls on our most important business customers and must know what to do in 100s of scenarios. Sorry it’s a complex job and takes many years to be good at it.
“even if it’s just to rack and stack a router.”
Which is why you’ll be out of a job and the work will move to a contractor. It’s a no skill job. Trust us, customers couldn’t care if T employee shows up or a contractor, the trash circuits aren’t made any more reliable from a visit by a T tech with a ripped shirt. Walmart is hiring Fred.
…2 screws and rack mount a router?! I thought we were supposed to lay them on top of the mop bucket.
Depends on the title I guess but from a systems tech perspective, the company will always need us, even if it’s just to rack and stack a router. Business customers have the attitude of “im already paying a fortune for the circuit , im not going to do art’s job to buy installing their router for them. Even though it’s easy work , the customer won’t do it themselves , at least on the enterprise side. They want AT&T to come in and do it. Almost always. So thanks for the 43 an hour to put two screws in and rack mount it.
“Your contract won’t be worth the paper written on , your union is pathetically weak. You’re just another ignorant , sit in your truck all day liability to the company, and they know it. Google , “ how to write a resume” you’ll need it.”
We disagree. There are a couple of craft titles that could be learned in 1 year but most take close to 5 years to master. GM assembly line workers getting 25% raises. Ups drivers getting huge raises. Our jobs are very very difficult to replace. They’ve not made the jobs easy to learn yet. Yes fiber does ki-l union labor and we will need less people. From a tech perspective most of the changes I’ve seen make the managers less needed. Software and automation gets rid of everything but the hand tools. They’ll never automate us.
“ Mastec troll go away. It’s not happening in D3 SE, ever hear of article 14, it’s for Jurisdiction of Work, contractors are only allowed to do unskilled work like flagging, digging, placing anchors, line assist. Other contracts have other forms of job security so take it somewhere else.”
Your contract won’t be worth the paper written on , your union is pathetically weak. You’re just another ignorant , sit in your truck all day liability to the company, and they know it. Google , “ how to write a resume” you’ll need it.
It would it be politically and financially su----e for the company to try and lockout the union for any length of time now. There has always been adjustments to the workforce based on technology, supply and demand. The contract and employee headcount are mutually exclusive of each other, the company needs a skilled workforce even as they sunset the older tech and copper pics transportation system. Same thing has happened before with iron wire, pulp/paper cable, old mechanical switches, pay phones, pagers, operators, etc…
There will be a definite smaller workforce going forward but who knows what the future will bring and the company has already reduced headcount over the years through attrition and layoffs. The transition is painful and worse now with the company being so heavily leveraged from bad business decisions. There are contractual issues to be addressed; COLA, healthcare, job security, pension/401k match, division of labor and other issues specific to individual titles.
Mastec troll go away. It’s not happening in D3 SE, ever hear of article 14, it’s for Jurisdiction of Work, contractors are only allowed to do unskilled work like flagging, digging, placing anchors, line assist. Other contracts have other forms of job security so take it somewhere else.
If the company wants to pay 20 billion in severance I guess they could put mastec in. Still gotta pay the salaries. Doesn’t sound cheaper.
Mastec will be the vast majority of install and maintenance resources by 2025.
Remember that agreement with the union was right in the middle of covid, I think the union got that from the company because they wanted us all vaccinated!
be careful come January
Be careful CWA new contract language must protect workers job security or you won’t have anyone to collect dues from.
1/1/2024 to my understanding. Hard to say what 2024 holds with AT&T air. Lots of fiber work planned.