AT&T workers in Florence continue to fight against company, claiming unfair labor practices

FLORENCE, SC (WPDE) — Several members of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) union who work at AT&T Southwest have been on strike throughout the week because the company was not negotiating in good faith, said RC Lee, president of CWA Local 3708 Florence District.

Lee said they had filed unfair labor practice charges against the company for failing to negotiate in good faith, failing to send representatives with decision-making authority to the negotiating table, engaging in superficial negotiations, refusing to negotiate on mandatory negotiation issues and deviating from agreements reached in negotiations.

“Last week it became clear that the negotiating team that AT&T sent to negotiate with our negotiating team did not have the authority to make a decision on the contract or even to negotiate multiple times. They were not even familiar with the proposal they were putting across the table,” Lee said.

More than 17,000 workers are on strike, including customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support AT&T's wireline telecommunications network for residential and business customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Our strikers are suffering a lot. They are doing this without pay. They have financial obligations and families to take care of. They have needs. It is a very dedicated force that can stop working. No one gets their paycheck for fighting something, that is unfair, Lee said.

Lee and his team plan to continue the strikes until an agreement is reached.

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He added that he was concerned about customers as they were the most affected.

According to Lee, the company is bringing unqualified people on board just to keep the company afloat.

Lee said he would have more information over the next week and would then know whether workers could return to work.

An AT&T spokesperson gave ABC15 the following statement:

“We are committed to achieving a fair deal for our employees in CWA District 3. [Southeast]with wages that exceed projected inflation and many other benefits that reflect today's competitive labor market. We have successfully negotiated 3 agreements already this year, including a tentative agreement 3 weeks ago with CWA District 9 [West] This recognizes the hard work and numerous contributions of these employees.

“In order to dispel any doubts about our sincerity and conduct and to underline our commitment to a constructive dialogue, we have invited a federal mediator to participate in the negotiations.

“We will continue to ensure our customers receive the excellent service they deserve by taking steps to minimize disruption from decisions made by CWA leadership.”

ABC15 will continue to follow this story.