There will be a 20% reduction in Wiretech and Premtech workers after contracts are ratified. Larger percentage in the West region.
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They’re both second class employees.
“ What separates AT&T from past and present coax providers (Spectrum, Charter, Comcast, Cox) who never had layoffs?”
They don’t need layoffs because a lot of techs quit and came to work for AT&T or other utilities in the past.
What separates AT&T from past and present coax providers (Spectrum, Charter, Comcast, Cox) who never had layoffs? I mean really? Is it just bad forecasting? How do you constantly overhire?
Good question. Live in Frontier/Spectrum territory. In some cases that pickup parked in front of a house might be one of their contractors. Lots of times that company vehicle is a contractor. Will be interesting to see how Verizon handles this when they take over Frontier.
Believe they said they expect/want the network to be transitioned to 50% fiber by 25/26 timeframes. If correct that leaves a lot of copper. However every area they have placed fiber there has been a substantial decrease in work content. Even back in the Uverse days. Fiber placed and techs in those areas looking for work at the end of the day most days. Had a couple of friends who had planned well retire. Got tired of doing the same safety packages over and over to charge their time to.
As the workload continues to dwindle look for SSIM to significantly increase headcount.
What separates AT&T from past and present coax providers (Spectrum, Charter, Comcast, Cox) who never had layoffs? I mean really? Is it just bad forecasting? How do you constantly overhire?
well, in a union, seniority rules, unqualified or not. at least most of the time, the non-core ET's usually get sc--wed.
DLC will be merged with SSIM after surplus. Not many MLT tickets or turnups lately. May need you to install b-voip and one button. Get ladder racks.,
This is most what will happen. Isn't it obvious when you have a union amending Article 7 to hand out bumping promotions to unqualified tech. No, a test does not make one qualified.
Many techs don't even realize what the Union has done. Look and understand this if you are an FT or DT, esoecially with 25 yrs service or less. Probably up to 27 before it's done. Plus if seniority was so important then why is it only 12% wire techs can be bumped? Why is Article 10 still there? It bypasses seniority with latteral? Why didn't SIPP wording change to be offered statewide for any title during surpluss to at least have a chance to save jobs with sipp takers? No job protections, just unqualified seniority catering.
Sounds like AT&T maybe aligning copper infrastructure with Government contracts as collocation agreements. (Dedicated leased lines)
Guessing that the contract for both D3 & D9 will be ratified in October.
Thank you for the book report and your wealth of knowledge on what , when and how the company operates. The board will take your insight and personal speculation into consideration. Going forward please apply half of the effort it took to write that 10,000 word essay on a Saturday night not getting paid to your job.
Please put your hardhat , safety glasses and your vest on crawl under that trailer and get that section 8 housing rat some internet.
Management.
Guessing that the contract for both D3 & D9 will be ratified in October. The company’s next surplus of union workers will be announced Dec 15 with off payroll date after New Years. They can and likely will pay out SIPP to anyone with an active request within two weeks of contract ratification. Deadline for SIPP request for 4th quarter is midnight eastern, Sep 30. Considering the lack of work in the southeast for the last six months and even now - a week after the strike was ended along with the 4 weeks of payroll the company was able to set aside, I expect to see a significant surplus (5k to 7k) announced for 1st quarter 25. I think the strike was nothing more than an agreed upon exercise between the union & ATT to bankroll the coming surplus. The thing I wonder is whether they have a straight up surplus or a targeted offer. If they want to get shed of more senior techs, a targeted offer of 50k + SIPP (see June2020) would be cheaper and much simpler than going thru the whole bump list process and possibly paying 52+ weeks of termination pay. They may have called them 2nd class employees, but the company loves PTs & WTs. They cost the company a 3rd less than WS 32 core techs and are performing a majority of installs. They could easily cut a third of the STs & FTs and still cover the maintenance issues. This will also offset the cost of the raise over the new contract. Those ready to retire may finally get the chance. Don’t expect any crazy offer but a reasonable severance at this point will be greatly appreciated.
Harris - FAA is trying to convert to a fiber fed IP based (Ethernet) network with pseudowire circuits replacing t1’s and the ds0 circuits will be a channelized portion of the pseudowire. Verizon won the new contract and Harris and Verizon are still debugging the technology. Maybe 10 years..unless a new solution is available.
Unfortunately this is true. The company has to make up for the raises they are about to give d3 and d9. It has to come from somewhere. God forbid it affects their profits.
Harris-FAA, NWS, ACoE are still going hard with DS0. He-l, we can’t even get them to upgrade to a copper T1. Fiber/IP based services aren’t even on their wish list. Many other federal & state agencies are happy with copper T1, lots of them have fiber for data but using copper PRISDN for voice with apparently no intention of upgrading. Not sure what the plan is going to be for the few straggler POTS customers in areas where a wireless home phone is not an option.
Takes a while to bury fiber, slow process dealing with unreliable contractors, local dot and individual counties to permit the work.
Comcast doesn’t have these issues, they are knocking it out, especially in very rural areas.
Takes a while to bury fiber, slow process dealing with unreliable contractors, local dot and individual counties to permit the work.
Yeah a lot of counties can’t afford to go to transition to cloud based systems for their 911 PSAP centers due to the expense. It usually has to take State money or multiple counties pooling their money and resources together to make it happen. Slow process, eventually they all will get there but it is taking a long time due to $.
So 30% fiber coverage which means the other 70% is 🤔 wonder what transport system is in those places? CU maybe and last time I checked, carrier of last resort is still a thing. They also said that by 2020 that all the CO switches would be totally gone, SS7 is till a thing and the switches though consolidated and partially decommissioned, are still working nearly 5 years later. Projects are constantly shut down due to budget constraints which lengthens any projected guidance.
One thing I’ve learned in all my years at the T, there are expectations then there is reality. It mainly comes down to $$ and execution. With a reduced workforce and loss of knowledge, it takes so much longer to complete any project now.
CDC in Atlanta just put hundreds of copper lines back into service. 911 psap’s everywhere are still using cooper trunks and D4, FCC, military are still using copper. Well star hospitals are still using ground start pots line as backups, Public schools are using copper lines for fire alarms, pots lines, a lot of residential still only has copper for service, elevators and pool phones on copper, could go on and on.
Can’t comment on CDC but can assure you they are paying thru the nose as is every other customer that has copper, if they haven’t up the price I assure it is in their very near future. As far as elevators and pools go yes they are copper but what is happening there is IP flex converting them back to copper and the cellular boxes that convert back to analog hand offs also. PSAPS are transitioning to cloud based systems so you will see those did trunks and admin trunks going away also. I may be wrong but pretty sure Alabama has already migrated PSAPS to the cloud but someone I am sure could verify on here.
“ Company is not even offering copper services anymore”
Guess those DT and CO IP’s I just wired up in the CO this week were a figment of my imagination. Of course everything is transitioning and copper is shrinking away but there is still a lot of copper lines and circuits in use.
CDC in Atlanta just put hundreds of copper lines back into service. 911 psap’s everywhere are still using cooper trunks and D4, FCC, military are still using copper. Well star hospitals are still using ground start pots line as backups, Public schools are using copper lines for fire alarms, pots lines, a lot of residential still only has copper for service, elevators and pool phones on copper, could go on and on.
Is it transitioning to fiber, yes but not as quickly as some portend. Copper is still regulated and T is the carrier of last resort so they have to have copper in most places even if it has been consolidated. Fiber installation, maintenance and build will continue for decades.
Company is not even offering copper services anymore and ja--ing up prices on copper over a 1000% on existing business customers and doubling residential cost.
"get you some job security language."
so what would this look like. another moa for no layoffs for two years? you think a company is going to pay someone to sit around and get paid all day?
I’ve heard fiber is taking over since I started nearly 30 years ago, still years to go. It takes a long time and money to transition a network and the infrastructure.
They are placing fiber as you were posting this . That stuff is going in everywhere.
I’ll be retired and copper will still be in use. The govt. loves it and won’t let go of it as backup.
Keep lying to yourself , do some research on the state of ga contract with At&t, 100% of their copper will be gone in less than a year. 100%. You better start updating your skills and lose the “ I will be here till I get ready to leave “ attitude. Op is correct, have you not noticed in district 3 at least, DT’s are spending 90% of their time doing WT work? And if you are a ST, you have a very very short work career left , the company has made that very clear starting about 6-7 years ago. . Sorry to bust your bubble but those are indisputable facts. I would suggest everyone that is not WS 32 test qualified do it Monday. 32 will be around for a while.
Only about 30% of AT&T territory is built out with fiber, plenty of future growth.
Word to the prem techs
Once every CO was manned
Frame techs, NTECS, Switch Techs.
Try and find a manned office now days.
One NTEC covering multiple offices for switch, frame, and transport is the norm, now.
Cuts come for everyone sooner or later.
Are you really needed in the network?
I’ve heard fiber is taking over since I started nearly 30 years ago, still years to go. It takes a long time and money to transition a network and the infrastructure. Company needs a ROI while transitioning, I’ll be retired and copper will still be in use. The govt. loves it and won’t let go of it as backup.
All Copper Wireline services are being grandfathered. Fiber technician and build-outs will be outsourced. No overhead is just smart money, nothing personal but none of you will be needed at some point.
There always has been and always will be layoffs. You think that’s breaking news? Any employee that has been here any length of time knows that, ohhh so scary 😱
Was surplussed once, after going through all my stay on payroll options, finally went off payroll. Before my unemployment was hardly started, they called me back to work. Skilled manual technical work is always needed. Don’t know many managers can say that.
Skilled manual labor is always needed, the desk jobs like support, IT, scrum, project manager, etc.. get offshored. Who cares what company’s name is on my shirt, the work is there, can you say the same?
WTs and PTs are being led to the cliff. You all should vote no and demand that the millions that you pay in dues, get you some job security language.
CWA knows about the layoffs.
Nothing is guaranteed
Once Prem Techs were needed
Now, not so much
Heck, even construction splicer not needed. I routinely see other companies hanging cable or running into conduit.
White Box world, baby
Molly, you in danger girl.
No one is safe.
This is just Wave 1.
My guys are doing about 95% internet installs and repair. Uverse TV work, typically more time allocated per ticket, is almost gone.
With 10 hour tours being a part of agreement. I can do without half of my crew. Not to mention Core techs also doing internet installs.
D3 didn't get retro pay.
Makes sense. No job security language added. All these members are getting hypnotized by backpack if they ratify contract. Money is nothing if your job is not guaranteed.