LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Twenty-thousand AT&T employees in nine states, including Kentucky, didn’t go to work Monday. Instead, they formed picket lines to protest what they’re calling the company’s “unfair labor practice.”
The strike started at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Todd Robey, who represents 600 people on strike in Louisville, Frankfort and Georgetown as the first vice president of CWA Local 3310, said AT&T isn't sending people in authority to the bargaining table.
“We're currently in bargaining without a contract. Our contract expired on Aug. 3," he said. “You want both parties to be able to make those decisions. Our people there are fully capable and authorized to make decisions on behalf of the union. It seems like the company's people they have there. They have no authority to make a decision.”
AT&T spokesman Jim Kimberly released the following statement on the strike:
“A strike would be in no one’s best interest. We’re baffled as to why union leadership would call one when we’re offering terms that would help our employees – some of whom average from $121,000 to $134,000 in total compensation – be even better off.
“We have offered the union terms that are consistent with what other CWA-represented employees have approved in recent contract negotiations; the company has reached 20 fair agreements since 2017 covering more than 89,000 employees."
People on strike include “the people who come out and do your installs for internet, TV, phone service, people who take your calls in your call centers,” Robey said. “They've got a manager in there trying to perform those duties now.”
Viewers tell WDRB News that’s what they’re experiencing.
“The customer is absolutely affected by this,” Robey said. “That's the bad part about it. I don’t know what the appointment windows are now, how far they're pushing out installations, how many people are sitting out of service or don't have TV service, internet or phone.”
The statement from Kimberly goes on to say, "We're prepared for a strike ... and we will continue working hard to serve our customers."
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