2022 6%, 2023 8.7%, 2024 3.2%. So just to keep up with COLA a 12% immediate raise is required. Then after a year 3% raise in wages would keep up with the cost of living. The CWA should be fighting for at least these percentages of raises for upcoming contracts. Good luck.
18 replies (most recent on top)
“Seen a lot of divorces over the years due to the work rules and expectations of the job.”
100% true. It’s pretty prevalent amongst the overtime techs but techs in general just due to the nature of the job. Just because you are scheduled to be off work at 5 doesn’t mean you will. It’s tough to plan things or be home in time for dinner/family time when there’s a chance you’ll get stuck on a job you can’t walk away from to go home at a reasonable hour. Folks complaining about excess pay have zero clue. They are complaining from the comfort of an office they can clock out from on time- or from their living room in their jammies.
“Yes, some techs make well over $135k per year with overtime! The job is way too easy compared to the rest of the industry, T is over paying its technicians!“
Please elaborate. Techs are paid for their skills and working in hazardous conditions every bit as much as they’re paid for their time. Fwiw- the gas company pays meter readers almost as much as skilled techs make here. Not overpaid in the slightest. If you want someone on call at 2am when there’s a major fiber damage, you have to pay for that, genius.
The pinkos are on their way to bankrupting the working Californians , they have never seen a tax or “free” services they didn’t like. Quid pro quo, free money/services for votes. Time for a layoff, wake up.
When you factor in taxes, healthcare, housing costs, family expenses, utilities, gasoline, insurance and maybe a small amount in your 401K, NO EMPLOYEES ARE OVERPAID IN CALIFORNIA !!! Those that work overtime do so they can afford to live in The Peoples Republic of California. A place where the workers pay taxes and fees up the yin yang
Nope. You’ll get 11% over 4yrs and like it. I actually think that’s BEYOND fair. If you disagree, then tell your union to quit backing BIDEN.
The techs (few) making over 135k with overtime also don’t have a much of a home-life. To make those kind of wages requires working a lot of OT and most of it is unscheduled or forced work so, the hours are unpredictable. Seen a lot of divorces over the years due to the work rules and expectations of the job.
Yes, some techs make well over $135k per year with overtime! The job is way too easy compared to the rest of the industry, T is over paying its technicians!
So CWA should fight for pay increases to keep up with the inflation rates from the guy they spent millions supporting & campaigning for?
Maybe the real reason you have to work hardest is because you have the least amount of talent. It's hard cleaning toilets but what else talent you got?
“Its the way of the world that the people that do the hardest jobs make the least”.
This is a stoopid statement at the very least. Changing oil in a generator in frigid temps is physically difficult, but requires very little analytical or technical aptitude. A developer sitting in an air conditioned office may be performing work that is the complete opposite. Doesn’t mean he/she doesn’t “work hard”.
Base of how some go my coworkers perform and what little value they really add, they are fortunate the company is nit asking for pay decrease.
Some simpleton said: "some dude working from home is upset he might have to go to the office part of the time"
No, "some dude" working from home is upset that the company told him he needs to work from an office that the company sold during COVID, so now they've decided he needs to show up at an office halfway across the country, but there is no relocation offer. He just needs to move his whole family at his own expense to a place with higher cost of living, lower quality of life, and when he gets there, he's still just as likely to get hit with a reduction in force because the company is run by jackasses that make decisions like this. Not to mention the cost of paying low intellect people like the one quoted above that they can't fire due to union contracts.
Get rid of some of the unneeded workers so they con't have to worry about COLA anymore.
“Can’t have a union”
That is untrue. You alone cannot, but groups of you can organize.
“Yes it is pointless for us to drive into an office and sit on conference calls all day. It also eats into what little bit of pay I make. So yes, it was a huge pay cut to have to go to the office for us. We can only dream about the kinds of raises you guys get.“
If your job can be done without you physically having to be present to do it, you can keep dreaming on your pay. You are not out in the craziest of weather (freezing temps, boiling temps, wind, snow, rain) climbing poles, crawling under houses, or working in manholes. You are not replacing stolen cable or repairing fiber optic damages- frankly, even locating said damage is a skill that takes years to acquire. Going into and working in neighborhoods that you would never set foot in otherwise out of fear for your personal safety is much different than working from home or in an office. What’s factored into pay is the hazardous nature of the job and that it can’t be done by someone at home in their pajamas.
I could only dream about those types of increases. Best I’ve gotten the past couple years is 1.5-2.5%. Yeah my pay has grossly fallen behind. I have to work extra jobs just to make ends meet.
As for the tech comment below, I’ve done your job and far worst. I would trade you. Now I work in an office. Does that make me better? No, just different type of job is all. You guys rail against the basic office workers just because they have an L2. They don’t manage anyone, don’t make any decisions, don’t make overtime, healthcare costs about $700/mo for us and has a $12k deductible. Plenty of weeks I’ve worked 80, 90, even 100+ weeks. Plus we have no union, can’t have a union, no job security, no advancement and get treated like garbage every day. Yes it is pointless for us to drive into an office and sit on conference calls all day. It also eats into what little bit of pay I make. So yes, it was a huge pay cut to have to go to the office for us. We can only dream about the kinds of raises you guys get.
Its the way of the world that the people that do the hardest jobs make the least. I’m changing the oil in a generator freezing cold or 100 degrees and some dude working from home is upset he might have to go to the office part of the time and complaining that techs make too much. It’s pretty ridiculous. Techs maintaining the fiber network have an important customer down everyday and walk in the door to a mad business owner then go fix the problem. Yea that employee is the problem he’s just a “union slug” that’s overpaid. It’s rude people show some respect it’s a tough job that you wouldn’t want to deal with Im guessing since your upset about showing up at all to the office. Doubt you want to deal with bad weather and converse directly with our customers.
Techs are already highly overpaid.