Many AT&T Employees Working Without Contracts Negotiations continue between AT&T, Unions... With AT&T union employees again threatening to strike over the weekend as the contract expired, AT&T and the Communications Workers of America announced last night they'd struck a tentative agreement for some 23,000 CWA-represented workers in California, Nevada and Hawaii. According to the CWA, bargaining continues for roughly 70,000 employees who work in AT&T East (CWA District 1), Southeast (District 3), Southwest (District 6), and AT&T Legacy, a nationwide unit. Several employees tell us they woke today really not knowing if they were going to be going to work. We spoke with one AT&T employee who works in AT&T's Southeast territory who says their contract expired last night. "The big issue is heath care and the amounts AT&T wants to charge us -- while raking in billions per quarter," the employee says. "All union members just don't want to lose anything we currently enjoy -- very simple -- we don't want pay raises, more vacation -- just our current benefits & health care." According to the employee, rumblings from an executive friend suggests AT&T management seriously considered locking out employees, but at this point appears to be moving forward and negotiating in good faith.
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  pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | Is It Really That Bad? What is the downside of working without a contract while negotiations continue? Do union workers lose certain pay or benefits as a result of working without a contract or are the expired contract terms in place until a new contract is agreed upon?
I would imagine that if the latter is true, then why threaten to strike and not have anyone get paid as a result of going on strike? I would imagine that any strike threat also does nothing more than to inspire management to come up with more creative ways to replace workers down the road.
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
|  |  gigahurtzPremium
join:2001-10-20
Palm Coast, FL
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Is It Really That Bad? said by pnh102:What is the downside of working without a contract while negotiations continue? Do union workers lose certain pay or benefits as a result of working without a contract or are the expired contract terms in place until a new contract is agreed upon? I would imagine that if the latter is true, then why threaten to strike and not have anyone get paid as a result of going on strike? I would imagine that any strike threat also does nothing more than to inspire management to come up with more creative ways to replace workers down the road. If they are working, then talks will most likely not happen as quickly as if they were on strike. | |
| |  tfrionliTom F.
join:2001-06-21
Kings Park, NY
 ·Verizon FiOS
·Optimum Online
| Let's see what this really means. What are the benefits of working with a contract? Hmmm. I would have to say any knowledgeable person wouldn't enter into an agreement of doing work for someone without a contract.
If you were to enter into a work relationship with someone, say to paint their house, and the terms of the work are spelled out in a contract, then it protects both parties.
Small Claims courts are full of people bickering over details of work not done so on and so forth, but when a contract is produced it gives the judge some clear definition of the work relationship and hopefully a decision can me made, by using that legally binding agreement.
Working without a contract gives the workers protection from the old contract while the negotiations continue for the details of the new contract to be produced.
Would you prefer to have a non-union, fly by night tech, running through your house or business, or a unionized tech who has the peace of mind to take the time to do his job professionally and with the knowledge to perform his job, without the threat of being fired because he doesn't do 8 jobs in a day?
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tfrionli | |
| | | shoan
join:2006-02-27
Benton, AR | Re: Is It Really That Bad? said by tfrionli:Let's see what this really means. What are the benefits of working with a contract? Hmmm. I would have to say any knowledgeable person wouldn't enter into an agreement of doing work for someone without a contract. Wow glad to hear that I am not a knowledgeable person. :P I go to work at my job day after day without a contract. And you can't throw the oh your not a highly skilled tech at me either. I keep linear accelerators working day by day all without having a union lording over me or my employer. | |
| | | | davePremium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
kudos:7 Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: Is It Really That Bad? A 'contract' does not require you to be a union member.
A 'contract' is what gives you some assurance that you'll get paid at the end of the month, etc. It spells out details of how much notice your employer must give you if he no longer wants to employ you, etc.
I'm pretty certain you have an employment contract. I've never had a job where I didn't sign one. | |
| | | | |  cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:5
·Frontier FiOS
| Re: Is It Really That Bad? said by dave:A 'contract' does not require you to be a union member. A 'contract' is what gives you some assurance that you'll get paid at the end of the month, etc. It spells out details of how much notice your employer must give you if he no longer wants to employ you, etc. I'm pretty certain you have an employment contract. I've never had a job where I didn't sign one. I am not a union employee, nor am I under a contract with my direct employer (I do occasionally do outsourced contract work, but that's between that company and my company, not me directly).
I have never signed anything that resembles a work contract at any of the jobs in the IT industry that I've worked at. I have had to sign that I've received an employee handbook/policies that tells me what the company practices are, but it is definitely not a legally binding contract.
Like 41 other states, my state is an at-will employment state. I am free to leave my company at any time with no notice, just as they are able to fire me at any time with no notice for no cause (except for reasons protected by state/federal law). It's customary to give notice if you plan on leaving, just as if layoffs are approaching, but it's not a requirement. | |
| | | | | | MrShag
join:2006-07-09
Hamilton, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| Re: Is It Really That Bad? '
A 'contract' does not require you to be a union member.
A 'contract' is what gives you some assurance that you'll get paid at the end of the month, etc. It spells out details of how much notice your employer must give you if he no longer wants to employ you, etc.
I have never signed anything that resembles a work contract at any of the jobs in the IT industry that I've worked at. I have had to sign that I've received an employee handbook/policies that tells me what the company practices are, but it is definitely not a legally binding contract. "
I am a union member as well. I work in the entertainment union. Same shit different pile. Do you think that you wouldn't have gotten paid without signing a tax-form, or booklet to show that you work for that employer?
Unions are there simply to make it easier for everyone to sign one contract instead 100's. As well as ensuring the safety of the employees.
If its unsafe the union says ' you need to fix this or we refuse to do this' goes a long way. | |
| | | | | | | cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:5 Reviews:
·Frontier FiOS
| Re: Is It Really That Bad? First, please learn how to properly quote someone. It makes it much easier to figure out who said what. Just put the tags [ quote ][ /quote ] or [ bquote ][ /bquote ] with the spaces removed around the text you want to quote. Or use the autoquote feature.
said by MrShag:I am a union member as well. I said I was NOT in the union
Do you think that you wouldn't have gotten paid without signing a tax-form, or booklet to show that you work for that employer? The tax forms are AFAIK required by law, or if not required, strongly suggested unless you don't mind giving the government a interest free loan. The I9 is to prove my ability to work and is required, at least for legitimate businesses.
My signing the form saying that I received the booklet was a condition of my employment, but it was not a contract. It was just an acknowledgment that I received it. It wasn't a sign that I accepted to follow what it said or that I necessarily agreed with any of it. It was just there to document that I at least was given what the company's policies and procedures were should there be an issue down the road.
Unions are there simply to make it easier for everyone to sign one contract instead 100's. "Easier" is a matter of perspective. I've never worked at a company that employed a statistically significant unionized workforce. Actually, I don't think that there was a single unionized employee that was on the regular payroll. Not once did we ever have a work stoppage, a strike, etc. Never did we have to worry if our contract was expiring, what was going to happen to our benefits if we didn't sign a new contract, etc. Each year we found out how our salary or hourly rate (depending on the type of employee) was being adjusted up or down, plus any other changes to benefits. The company presented them to us and we were free to accept them and continue to work, or reject them and quit. And the process worked really well.
As well as ensuring the safety of the employees. If its unsafe the union says ' you need to fix this or we refuse to do this' goes a long way. Historically there was a great need for unions. Early meat markets, sweat shops, and auto industry was very dangerous. Unions helped reform working in those and other industries. However an argument can be made that those unsafe conditions have largely gone by the wayside. Yes there are still dangerous work environments, and accidents can still happen. Being unionized doesn't magically make you safer, just as being non-unionized doesn't make you more accident prone.
Some of the largest "industries" that are unionized are government employees, education, training, and library at nearly 40%. I've had some killer paper cuts in the past from shuffling papers, but I wouldn't exactly say that they are industries that are in seriously jeopardy of being considered unsafe. The automotive industry is traditionally been a dangerous workplace. Yet the non-unionized "foreign" automakers, that actually make cars domestically, produce better cars cheaper and their safety record is no worse then their unionized competition.
It probably isn't hard to guess which side of the union/non-union debate I side with. This article summarizes pretty much the rest of my view. | |
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| | |  John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:2 | said by shoan:I keep linear accelerators working day by day all without having a union lording over me or my employer. When I worked at SLAC we had a great union.
»www.slac.stanford.edu/
They didn't "lord over us"...
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The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.
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| | | | | shoan
join:2006-02-27
Benton, AR | Re: Is It Really That Bad? I work on Varian Clinacs for cancer treatment not that big boy right there lol. Personally I love my job pretty low stress environment. Keep it running and they leave us alone :P | |
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| | |  ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4
 ·VOIPo
·Choice One Commu..
| said by shoan:said by tfrionli:Let's see what this really means. What are the benefits of working with a contract? Hmmm. I would have to say any knowledgeable person wouldn't enter into an agreement of doing work for someone without a contract. Wow glad to hear that I am not a knowledgeable person. :P I go to work at my job day after day without a contract. And you can't throw the oh your not a highly skilled tech at me either. I keep linear accelerators working day by day all without having a union lording over me or my employer. You are only skilled if it is a flux capacitor. 
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"So, Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org | |
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| |  Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield
3 edits | So because a tech is non-union he is fly by night. I don't think so, a union tech is no more qualified to perform his job than a non-union tech. Union workers may be good at taking their time, but it is not to do the job right. It's called laziness. Non-union techs are not any more pressure to get a certain amount of work done in a day then a union tech. If they can not do their job they need to look for another one. Being a member of a union does not make someone a better worker. All unions have done in years is protect lousy workers who need to be fired and pay them far more than they are worth. | |
| | | | shoan
join:2006-02-27
Benton, AR | Re: Is It Really That Bad? sad thing is when the tech came and installed uverse in my house he did everything he could to stop the install and get someone else to come and do it. What was so bad about my house was he had to drop one wire. And the sad thing was there was one pre pulled and he did not want to terminate it. The only reason the install got finished was that I the customer pulled the wire for him. He was truly a bad tech. But hey there is bad apples everywhere. Before anyone goes and says this was a complicated pull. It was in a finished attic and already had a hole drilled from where the cat 5 was running from the previous wireless internet in the house. Heck he could have even used that wire since it was leading to the box on the outside of the house. I had it mounted there to make it easy for a change over but this poor tech could not comprehend this concept of having the house already wired. He kept saying oh no we need to reschedule to wire this house.
Well I say a pox on that lazy tech lol | |
| | | | | Reviews:
·WOW Internet and..
·Time Warner Cable
| Re: Is It Really That Bad? So how do you know this tech wasn't a Union tech and not a non-union.
ATT has a good amount of union employees that don't do their job. They love to just say "oh we can't fix the problem" Blah blah blah. I had one in Fremont OH who refused to fix a card out in the crossconnect box down the street. Every time it would rain or snow i'd lose phone. He kept getting the ticket and said "oh there is nothing WE can do, if we fix it we'll just be back out later to replace it again". I asked if it that wasn't what he got PAID to do. He did NOT respond and went to fix the line. (several of my neighbors had the same problem as well DUE to Ameritech putting installing the Cross Connect box in a hole and the vent slots UPSIDE DOWN!)
I reported him to ATT never did see him after that time at my house or around town. | |
| | | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? I bet you were glad you had a qualified union guy to tell you that he did not want to do his job correctly.
It seems that union or non-union there are plenty of people out there doing a lousy job and fortunately others there to clean up their mess behind them. | |
| | | | | |  SplitpairPremium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
kudos:3 | said by hottboiinnc:I had one in Fremont OH who refused to fix a card out in the crossconnect box down the street. Probably because there are no cards in a crossbox.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician | |
| | | | | | |  beachintechThere's sand in my tool bagPremium
join:2008-01-06
kudos:5 | Re: Is It Really That Bad? Thanks for the laugh. haha
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Tech at the Beach. | |
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| | | | | You know why your phone bill gets messed up? Because sales commissions make it lucrative to do so.
'Non-union techs are not any more pressure to get a certain amount of work done in a day then a union tech.'
How is, "If you don't get enough tasks a day done, you're put on notice. If you don't improve, you'll be penalized. If you keep getting penalized, you're fired" not pressure? The non-union tech can't push back and get some of the pressure off. The union tech has at least some outlet. | |
| | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? It sounds more like the non-union tech is expected to work during the time that he is paid. If he can not do the job, then perhaps he needs to look for another one. A union tech can not do his job and he whines to the union that they are working him too hard and wants to do less work for the same money. That's real productive. | |
| | | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? Ok, so when a tech arrives at your house and you want a phone jack installed, tell him to do it as fast as humanly possible. Every tech would gladly do it that way if they could.
Believe it or not, doing things as fast as humanly possibly doesn't mean it's of high quality. That's like saying China makes the best products in the world because clearly work harder. | |
| | | | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? As mentioned elsewhere there is a thing called personal responsibility. This allows people to do their jobs properly with pride. It does not mean they do it as fast as hunmanly possible, it means they do it correctly in a timely manner. They don't need to take 2 coffee breaks while doing a simple job or have to call their steward to see if it is ok to turn that screw. | |
| | | | | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? But you don't understand. Their foreman said if they didn't get your job done in a set amount of time then they're through. Sorry, but you'll just have to accept substandard work because it benefits the rushed non-union employee more than his hourly paid non-rushed counterpart.
You must not have any experience in the trade if you think that managements goal is to give every tech as much time as it takes to get a job done. | |
| | | | | | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? So only union workers are allowed enough time to get their job done properly. I find that difficult to believe.
Allowing someone the time to do their job properly is just good business sense. If the job is done right the first time, it does not need to be done again. That is not a solely union idea.
So you were there when the foreman told them to do the job in a set amount of time, which was unreasoable, or is that what the union told you to think.
Quality work is qua
lity work whether the worker is union or non-union. A union worker doing a job does not guarantee the job will be done with any better quality than a non-union countrpart.
Using non-union people to do work does not mean you have to accept substandard work. If a contractor is providing substandard work, they will not survive long in business.
I have trade experience and have relatives who are retired and current union memebers. They tell many stories of lazy workers who are protected by the union. They often had to clean up their mess or had to work harder to make up for the other workers laziness. The lazy workers had no reason to do better as the union protected them. They were paid the same money for inferior work because the union said that was the way it should be. In the union mind people should all be paid the same for the same job, no matter how well or poorly they perform the job. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? While I'm sure *your relatives* are a reasonably large and randomized sampling of their industries at large, I do believe you should reassess your initial conclusions.
Lazy people exist everywhere. Union or non-union. The point bogey is trying to make is that non-union workers have extra pressure to do a certain amount of work in a certain amount of time. As long as they can do a barely good enough job to avoid customer complaints they will complete the work as quickly and as substandardly as possible *to keep their job*. | |
| | | | | | | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? I agree lazy people exist in union and non-union jobs. Non-union people are likely to be fired for being lazy though and not be paid as much as someone who is productive and hard working. A lazy person in a union is going to be protected by that union and paid the same as someone who works much harder and deserves to be paid better.
It seems what you are telling me is that union guys are allowed to do as much or as little work as they see fit. No matter how much work they could have done. Non-union guys are just going to do a barely passable job.
That's generalizing and certainly not true. It's just union propoganda. Non-union guy are just as capable of doing a job properly as a union guy. It's all individual and being union or non-union has no bearing. | |
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| | | | | | | | Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| In my experience in the Carpenters union, I was paid to do a job. the contractor paid my union wages and benefits. If I didn't do the job in the time the foreman figured it should be done I would get a pink slip on Friday with a "we don't need you anymore" end of discussion. I happened to be very good and worked journeyman level jobs as a 2nd year apprentice with a Journeyman to mentor me. By my third year I had a first year apprentice as my helper and we teamed up and made LOTS of money for the Contractor who didn't have to pay journeyman wages. Back then one would take pride in their work. Sadly there is little or no union carpentry being done in my area and the housing shows it! Wood butchering is what its called and I'm sure the same thing goes for Union telecom employees, There those who have pride and are really good and there are lazy shiftless bums who rely on unions to protect their sorry ass from being fired for incompetent work. There are also great non-union telecom workers. Being union is no guarantee of pride and responsibility for ones work work nor is it a indicator of quality. The bigger issue is the idea that life owes you a living and you should have everything you want and not have to work for it and two, the companies have no respect for those they employ and they are treated as throw away commodities! | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? Carpenters' unions are a different story than many.
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Ali Fazel
i2Telecom Representative | |
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| | | | Reviews:
·WOW Internet and..
·Time Warner Cable
| The Definition of a Sales Rep is TO SELL YOU products NOT to give you support.
If you don't like that I don't know what to tell you as far as Sales Reps. They get paid hourly as well along with that extra bonus for extra services. ALL COMPANIES DO IT! | |
| | | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? 'The Definition of a Sales Rep is TO SELL YOU products NOT to give you support.'
Yup, and just because you end up with a package that costs you more...well that's really your problem. | |
| | | | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? So if the sales rep lies to you and you wind up with a package that costs you more it is your problem. Sales people lieing is not really a union/non-union issue. Although a lieing salesman will more likely be fired when he is non-union. The union will protect an individual, no matter what they may have done wrong.
Companies giev their sales people scripts to use to sell their packages, and leave out information that a customer needs to make an informed decision. Then they tell the customer they need to sign up right now on the phone or they will lose the deal. | |
| | | | | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? If you don't give someone an incentive to lie, you think they will? | |
| | | | | | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? Interesting question, some people due to poor ethical upbrining are likely to lie with out incentive. Others may lie with a proper incentive. There are also people who will not lie no matter the incentive. Being union or non-union would not likely make a difference. | |
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| | | | | said by Homer J:So because a tech is non-union he is fly by night. I don't think so, a union tech is no more qualified to perform his job than a non-union tech. Union workers may be good at taking their time, but it is not to do the job right. It's called laziness. Non-union techs are not any more pressure to get a certain amount of work done in a day then a union tech. If they can not do their job they need to look for another one. Being a member of a union does not make someone a better worker. All unions have done in years is protect lousy workers who need to be fired and pay them far more than they are worth. The irony here is you're criticizing someone for making a broad-based assumption about all non-union workers, and then you follow it up with your own broad-based assumption about "lazy" union workers.
How do you know unions over the years have only protected people who "need to be fired"?
Are you saying that workers who don't work 16 hour work days for a few dollars a day like in China "need to be fired"? Because that's what we had in America before unions.
And since when do you define what "they are worth"? Why is it OK for a corporation that never has to worry about debt or loss of livelihood from bankruptcy to rake in *billions* in profit every year, while subjecting their employees to draconian rules and regulations and stripping away their benefits? | |
| | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? So a guy who does a lousy job and is lazy should be paid $25+/hour to do a job that could be mastered in a few hours because he needs to make a living wage. He needs to do something to earn that living wage. Showing up at work everyday is not enough to earn a living.
If you look at my other posts you will see I say there are plenty of hard working union people out there. They likely do not need the union. Companies will want to hire them as they work hard and take pride in their work. There are others who are lazy and need the union to prtect their job. Without the union they would have a hard time finding work if at all as they would have to be judged on their own performance.
I looked and I did not mention working 16 hours a day for a few dollars a day like in China.
I do think people need to be paid a fair wage for the job they are performing. A guy working on a production line somewhere should not be being paid $25+/hr for that type of work. If he wishes to make more money he could learn a skill or go to college to get a better job if he wishes to make more money. They also should not be paid most of their salary for showing up at a closed K-mart because the union won a concession from a company.
A corporation should be able to decide what they think the work is worth. If they do not pay enough they will raise the amount they are offering to get the people they need. Corparations have to live with the fear of bankruptcy everyday. They must compete with other businesses for people and sales all the time.
Corporations are owned by share holders and they are responsible to them to make a profit and give the investor a return on their investment. So it should be ok for them to make money in a fair and ethical way. I
If they are subjecting their employees to such draconian conditions. The employees should quit and find employment elsewhere. If enough people do this, the company will change their rules to get the people they need.
A job and a certain amount of pay is not an entitlement as the union seems to tell people. People should have to earn what they get and if they want more they can work harder or get more education to get a better job. | |
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| | |  BOGBSPremium
join:2004-05-11
Saco, ME
·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | said by Homer J:So because a tech is non-union he is fly by night. I don't think so, a union tech is no more qualified to perform his job than a non-union tech. Union workers may be good at taking their time, but it is not to do the job right. It's called laziness. Non-union techs are not any more pressure to get a certain amount of work done in a day then a union tech. If they can not do their job they need to look for another one. Being a member of a union does not make someone a better worker. All unions have done in years is protect lousy workers who need to be fired and pay them far more than they are worth. I like how you lump all union workers into the same group. Some are lazy, and some do take their time to get the job done right. Even the lazy ones don't always take their time. Workers, union or non-union, work harder at some times than others. Lazy workers are to be found in union, or non-union shops. Union shops do protect some lazy people, but I can assure you that all union workers that take their time are not lazy.
I'm a non-union employee, but I still find time to make sure I get the job done right. This often takes more time than some of my predecessors, but I'm also cleaning up their messes from rushing through jobs in the past, periodically. If I can't get it done right, I'm not going to apply some band-aid that will just be accepted for in-service use, because someone in management wants to save some money (when in reality it will almost assuredly come to bite you in the butt). I'll apply band-aids if it's a major service affecting issue, but will get them rectified. There's a good phrase to apply in the telecommunications, or any industry really: "Measure twice, cut once".
People doing their due diligence, and putting the right equipment/materials in the first time often takes longer than getting the job done fast. What employers, and people like you forget, is that taking a little extra time at a certain task will more likely than not ensure that you don't have to go back to rectify any band-aids on the job. Band-aids from "just getting the job done" (regardless of having the right materials or not) often cause havoc on future infrastructure maintenance (cause service affecting maintenance, because someone didn't install a long enough jumper between devices, or mount equipment on a level plane.. for example)
So... please try and think before you flap your gums, and lump a group of people into one stereotype. | |
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| | | | Yes, i would prefer a non unionized tech, they dont have those silly entitlement issues, I think its called personal resposibility. But then again, after the last town hall meeting i went to, And was called a racist by an SEIU member for asking a question as to why i would have to give up my private medical insurance, because i have durable medical equipment issued to me by my doctor.. and go on medicare, this SEIU guy, with the SEIU logo on his shirt screamed at me, told me to sit down and shut up, then called me a racist.. | |
| | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? Not sure personal responsibilty is allowed in a union contract. The way the unions and media have treated people who are questioning this healthcare reform mess is reprehensible. The press is making the people out to be some kind of right wing extreme mob. It seems to be more that they don't want to answer the painful questions and get people there to stop these people from trying to get answers. Nobama wants to ram this through Congress before people realized what happened. If he gets what he wants we are all in trouble. | |
| | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? Yes, because Fox News is obviously a left-wing nut media machine.
By the way Homer, your "Nobama" insult really communicates your complete willingness to sit down and discuss issues rationally. | |
| | | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: Is It Really That Bad? He has shown he is going to ram through Congress whatever he thinks is right no matter what people want or need. After 8 years of Bush insults, turn about seems fair. I am reasonable, but to others who wish to be unreasonable in return. | |
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| | | | said by tfrionli:Would you prefer to have a non-union, fly by night tech, running through your house or business, or a unionized tech who has the peace of mind to take the time to do his job professionally and with the knowledge to perform his job, without the threat of being fired because he doesn't do 8 jobs in a day? How are we fly by night? Most of the contract work I do lasts months or years even.
I am accountable on every job. Why do I hear from customers, "You're the only guy who would do the job, or came on time, didn't complain, was polite and took pride in his work".
I could go on for pages.
When I was in the union I sure wasn't motivated to do anything but the minimum.
Why do AT&T customers deserve that?
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| | | |  syslockPremium
join:2007-02-03
Ann Arbor, MI | Re: Is It Really That Bad? >>When I was in the union I sure wasn't motivated to do
>>anything but the minimum.
>>
>>Why do AT&T customers deserve that?
I worked on a contract project at AT&T and that's exactly what I saw.
Not much of anything going on in a hurry. Sad.
People are still up in arms over the big layoffs in the 80's
Nice of AT&T to layoff Engineers only 2 months away from full retirement. Only to call them back as contractors a few months later because they let too many of them go. | |
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| | | | We all know those who are under "protection" work so hard for the customer. They go out of their way to work on your problem and never, ever do they mumble the phrase "That's not my job."
Only union employees are capable of working on complex problems as the union puts the special smart juice in the kool-aid that they pass out at the meetings. | |
| | | pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | If the expired contract terms are honored by both AT&T and the union while the negotiations are going on (which appears to be the case) then the situation of working without any labor contract appears to be a non-issue.
What I don't get is why strike in this situation? If everyone is getting paid for their work, what is to be gained by striking? No one is irreplaceable, and going on strike will only give management more incentive to find a way to make strikers very replaceable in this type of economy.
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
| | | pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | 
Funny coincidence :) |
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
| | | jandar
join:2006-01-16
Middleburg, FL | If you ever lived in a right to work state, you would realize that there are no contracts for work. You simply accept a job, and go to work.
Its up to the company if they offer a contract at all.
Having been in IT for the past decade, I have never once signed a contract for my line of work.
Im also switching out our PBX system, and we will be hiring highly skilled companies to do the wiring work that are probably non-union as well. Im not forced to use a union like in NY. This opens my choices to who would be the best fit/price. I know I can get cable that is certifed and warranted for around 75$ a drop. Good luck with that in NY. | |
| | | | c4junkPremium
join:2004-05-08
Orlando, FL | Re: Is It Really That Bad? said by jandar:If you ever lived in a right to work state, you would realize that there are no contracts for work. You simply accept a job, and go to work.. What? Florida is a right to work state- I retired in 2001 from ATT/BELL/ATT after 33 yrs and was in CWA almost the whole time .
Back to the point I've always felt it was better to work (for a time) without a contract than hit the bricks, which I have done a few times (wish they didn't do it in Aug- too hat on the picket line).
I took a buy out- so no pension check but I did retain my medical coverage and I'm waiting to see how bad we will get it, right now it's free (co-pay, $600 deductible) and I think we may see a monthly fee, I just hope it's not $300-400 per. | |
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| | | | I try and avoid union workers whenver possible. Anyone that can't stand on the merits of their work and has to strongarm a business through mob tacticts to keep a job is not someone I want to do business with. Union labor is of subpar quality. You know it is.
said by tfrionli:Let's see what this really means. What are the benefits of working with a contract? Hmmm. I would have to say any knowledgeable person wouldn't enter into an agreement of doing work for someone without a contract. If you were to enter into a work relationship with someone, say to paint their house, and the terms of the work are spelled out in a contract, then it protects both parties. Small Claims courts are full of people bickering over details of work not done so on and so forth, but when a contract is produced it gives the judge some clear definition of the work relationship and hopefully a decision can me made, by using that legally binding agreement. Working without a contract gives the workers protection from the old contract while the negotiations continue for the details of the new contract to be produced. Would you prefer to have a non-union, fly by night tech, running through your house or business, or a unionized tech who has the peace of mind to take the time to do his job professionally and with the knowledge to perform his job, without the threat of being fired because he doesn't do 8 jobs in a day? | |
| | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? said by gfd :
I try and avoid union workers whenver possible. Anyone that can't stand on the merits of their work and has to strongarm a business through mob tacticts to keep a job is not someone I want to do business with. Union labor is of subpar quality. You know it is.
Actually, no, I don't. And you could easily look up a number of history-oriented forums discussing the merits of modern-day unions without me having to correct you. But I suspect you'd rather not deal with something that doesn't agree with your point of view.
The very idea that you think a union "mob" is attempt to "strongarm" their employer is beyond idiotic. You do understand that employers have ALL THE LEVERAGE and individual workers have absolutely NO POWER without unions, right? Unions only attempt to even the playing field so employers can't take advantage of their employees and treat them like dirt for the sake of profit, which they have HISTORICALLY DONE since venture capitalists gained prominence during the Renaissance. | |
| | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? said by sonicmerlin:The very idea that you think a union "mob" is attempt to "strongarm" their employer is beyond idiotic. You do understand that employers have ALL THE LEVERAGE and individual workers have absolutely NO POWER without unions, right? You have a naive notion of how unions work lately.
Ask any citizen of Toronto last month who were strong armed and threatened by their employees who collect the garbage.
$25.00 an hour and banked sick days that are cashed out when you retire are not good enough for these guys. | |
| | | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | So every employer out there is going to take advantage of their employees without a union. I find that very difficult to believe. | |
| | | | | | | | Re: Is It Really That Bad? said by Homer J:So every employer out there is going to take advantage of their employees without a union. I find that very difficult to believe. No, there are great companies. The worst ones are usually union.
People who work for Honda here in America are happy and no union. People in Detroit are like, "Where's that Obama fella?"
JobVent.com is a good place to see if your employees like or hate your guts. | |
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| |  mrkevinKnowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.Premium
join:2007-08-07
Aurora, ME | said by tfrionli:Would you prefer to have a non-union, fly by night tech, running through your house or business, or a unionized tech who has the peace of mind to take the time to do his job professionally and with the knowledge to perform his job, without the threat of being fired because he doesn't do 8 jobs in a day? I reject that notion.
Being part of a union doesn't give you an 'S' on your chest and a red cape.
I am non-union and do a thorough, highly skilled, professional job every day so: 
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An army of sheep led by a lion, will always defeat an army of lions led by a sheep. | |
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| | | | shoan
join:2006-02-27
Benton, AR | Re: Is It Really That Bad? yeah I know I was just giving you crap hence the :P
I meant no ruffled feathers by it. I think unions are good in some places and bad in others. Personally I don't think they could get anyone in the country that does my job to think about tying their shoes for $10 /hr. I honestly hate that there are jobs out there that the employer had to have a union make them do the right thing. If employers would just do the right thing and pay what they should we would not have all these issues.
Sorry for all you techs out there having to stress over this, this morning.
sad panda is sad for you | |
| | | | WhatNowPremium
join:2009-05-06
Charlotte, NC | Re: Is It Really That Bad? It's not the employee doing the right thing it's employer doing the right thing. Unions would disappear if some companies treated their employees better. Most employees do not really want the Union but do it after they see upper management laugh at them for being wage slaves. Management bring unions on themselves and then they get stuck with them.
If you only work 40 hrs and get off on the weekend thank the Union from the past. If you would prefer we could change the law to no rules and you could work 60 hrs and 6 or 7 days a week for the same per hour wage like many companies do so called managers.
Who got laid off at the banks the people that did not make the bad decisions and the ones that did got bonuses. That is when you get Unions.
You get the best and the worst in union and non union. The phone company does everything by spreadsheet management so they micro manage but have no idea about what is really going on. | |
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2 edits | All this doesn't matter. District 4 already ratified their contract. District 9 is probably going to as well.
AT&T had a plan to KO the union and they are picking them off one by one. District 3 is probably next to get District 4's deal. District 9 is done.
District 6, really the heart of AT&T since it near HQ, is the only one really doing anything. AT&T knows this and will get all the others to take a deal and leave them last union standing.
District 4 basically took a pay raise and now will pay a lot for healthcare. Round 1 - AT&T. District 9 settled for probably the same deal since T won't give one a better deal then the other. Round 2 - AT&T.
Distrct 3 is now in the uneviable position of making or breaking the union on paying for part of healthcare. If District 6 hasn't figured this out yet, they probably should. District 4 is weak since they are in high unemployment areas. District 3 has always been weak according to union members.
I bet District 1 settles before District 3.
After District 1 and 3 settles for a District 4 screwing, the game is over.
AT&T's CEO went about to break the union's resolve and he did.
No strike. 3 doesn't have the guts. 6 was waiting 4 and 3 to join them. 4 broke ranks and settled. District 6 might've been strong but isn't once 4 and 9 settled. District 3 would accept a lockout before a strike, but will accept a District 4 type contract before either.
AT&T isn't locking anyone out since they have the union on the run. AT&T knows it's just a matter of time before District 3 settles for their rearending. Then, AT&T can really give District 6 a final offer.
If District 6 stays out without a contract too long, I bet AT&T locks them out. They could move workers from other districts to keep it going till District 6 caves. Of course, if District 6 sees a lockout coming, they will take it in the rearend too.
AT&T management planned this out well and the dominos are falling in the union.
District 4 has already created a lot of hate from Prem Techs since Prem Techs will be sacrificed on the alter for the Union peeps. AT&T got the union thinking, "Hey, if we lose our jobs, we can just take a Prem Tech's job. Prem Techs aren't union anyway, right?" Prem techs didn't vote on the District 4 contract. | |
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See 13 replies to this post | |
| | | If you don't have a contract you simply work under your old terms until the new contract is negotiated and is final.
My wife's job is union (AFSCME) and whenever they have contract negotiations it takes a while. However when the new contract is finalized, they get back pay going all the way back to the previous contract's expiry date. | |
| |  burner50Helping Darwin WINPremium,VIP
join:2002-06-05
Cowtown
kudos:1
 ·inmotionhosting
| said by pnh102:What is the downside of working without a contract while negotiations continue? Do union workers lose certain pay or benefits as a result of working without a contract or are the expired contract terms in place until a new contract is agreed upon? I would imagine that if the latter is true, then why threaten to strike and not have anyone get paid as a result of going on strike? I would imagine that any strike threat also does nothing more than to inspire management to come up with more creative ways to replace workers down the road. Wait till congress forces them back to work... Thats what happens to us every 5 years... Contract expires, company wont negotiate in good faith... We still have to work.
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I'm tired of killing stupid people just trying to do my job and go home! | |
| |  TransitManPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-05
Dayton, OH
kudos:1
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by pnh102:What is the downside of working without a contract while negotiations continue? Do union workers lose certain pay or benefits as a result of working without a contract or are the expired contract terms in place until a new contract is agreed upon? As a retired union worker (not with AT&T), the union workers are working day to day under the expired contract. And to do this, the union members themselves had to vote on whether to do this or not.
In the same meeting to vote, they probably also voted on a strike notice.
When and until the new contract is settled, AT&T union workers are covered under the provisions and agreements of the expired contract.
said by pnh102:I would imagine that if the latter is true, then why threaten to strike and not have anyone get paid as a result of going on strike? I would imagine that any strike threat also does nothing more than to inspire management to come up with more creative ways to replace workers down the road. Actually a strike threat keeps the two sides negotiating in good faith on a new contract. And so long as the union workers are under contract, management can try to come up with creative ways to replace them, but it would be with a fight, a very costly fight.
If and when a company puts forth its' last best final contract offer, the membership votes on it. If the membership votes it down, they then have the right to strike until a fair contract is offered or worked out between union and management.
Also, the union can counter the company's last best offer with one of their own.
It comes down to either brinkmanship, or the two sides working out a fair and equitable agreement.
In my opinion, it is always preferable to have an equitable agreement that both sides agree on.
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Perhaps TODAY IS a good day to die!
Worf on the Defiant - ST First Contact
Proud Host of Crunchie #2. | |
| | | | Most of the old contract remains in force during the bargaining period. Some provisions (such as the use of arbitration to resolve grievance issues) usually cease to apply. If a bargaining impasse is reached, then old contract rules are no longer in force. Strict labor-law definitions apply to the terms just used.
NLRB recognition of these guidelines is not a guarantee that they will be adhered to. There are no labor-negotiation police that step in to correct an offending party. Transgressions must be addressed in the court system. You know, where he who has the most lawyers wins | |
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| | help me understand please. what would locking out 70,000 union workers do for AT&T? who's going to do the work, AT&T 1st and 2nd level managers? would AT&T hire contractors to do the work? not a bad gig for a contractor but once the new contract came into effect, good bye contractor.
by the way, doesn't the National Labor Relations Board look down upon companies that lock out union workers during bargaining? isn't that considered 'not bargaining in good faith'? | |
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See 14 replies to this post | |
| | District 4 District 4, which is the Midwest ratified our contract on Friday.
"The settlement increases pay by about 9 percent over the contract term, including cost of living adjustments, and provides pension band increases of 2 percent in each year of the agreement, also with cost of living adjustments. The health care plan provides for fully funded preventive care and company-funded health reimbursement accounts that can be used toward any eligible health care expense. The new agreement also includes new transfer rights for workers, improves earnings and job opportunities for prem techs and some customer service workers, and provides additional employment security improvements."
-From yahoo finance.
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|  Jmartz
join:2000-07-20
Tenafly, NJ | There are plenty of people looking for work... It would be unwise for them to go on strike. | |
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See 9 replies to this post | |
 ztmikeMark for moderationPremium
join:2001-08-02
Michigan City, IN | bah These people should be happy they even have a job. Thousands of thousands of people would galdy take it without these "benefits" | |
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See 8 replies to this post | |
Reviews:
·Comcast
| union since no matter how these thread ever start out it comes to union bashing. basically a contract establishes the basics that bargained for employees have earned. for example changing schedules because supervisor kid has baseball. we had supervisor at non union plant who changed shifts from 6-6 to 7-7 because he wanted to come in later cause kid had baseball at night. this is the kind of crap that makes union exist today..
i was in the meeting when he changed it, it is not second hand..
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calling a illegal alien undocumented is like calling a drug dealer a undocumented pharmacist | |
| | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: union Not sure how they earned something. They negotiated as a group and got a concession from the company. | |
| | | Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: union earned by not getting fired for being experienced employee.
earned the right to keep a job that you do well and not be fired in December and rehired in January so exec can get better bonus.
etc. etc..
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calling a illegal alien undocumented is like calling a drug dealer a undocumented pharmacist | |
| | | | Homer JMmmm, Free Goo
join:2000-10-05
Springfield | Re: union Seems a company doing things like that would not last long in buiness. Union or no union. | |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| Working without a contract Having been thru several contract renewals with SWB, SBC, and AT&T, as long as the union doesn't call the strike when the contract expires, everyone just keeps working at their normal job at the normal schedule. Nothing changes, except that the new contract doesn't kick in with a possible pay raise. However, if true to form when the contract is finally signed, the pay raise, if there is on will probably be backdated to something approximating the original contract expiration.
Not quite sure where the usual union suck and non union rules got into this thread, but whatever. BTW, I was management at AT&T prior to retirement. | |
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See 6 replies to this post | |
| | CWA/AT&T District 3 Negotiations One thing many of you are missing is that the health care benefits over which these negotiations are taking place were bargained for in the last union contract. Sure, health care costs have risen, but BellSouth/AT&T most assuredly accounted for this potential increase at the time the original negotiations took place--or at least they should have. To the extent the increased costs were not completely factored into the last contract, or if estimates for such increases were not accurate, that's AT&T's fault--the employees' obligations to AT&T have not changed. It's no different than the union telling AT&T that each employee is going to reduce his/her hours to 30 per week because of unforeseen affects of global warming, while keeping the same pay.
AT&T's attempt to effectively back out of prior promises because costs allegedly have skyrocketed while it raked in more than $6 billion of PROFITS (i.e., AFTER mega bonuses are paid to the executives, and AFTER these 'ridiculous' health care costs for its employees) last year is absolutely ABSURD. If AT&T gets its way and shifts more of the health care costs to its employees, how many more billions in PROFITS would it make in 2009? How about if we weren't in a FREAKING RECESSION? AT&T is redefining "greed." | |
| WhatNowPremium
join:2009-05-06
Charlotte, NC | Most managers like unions Low level managers like the fact they don't have to deal with who does or does not get a raise, it makes formal many rules that make life easier for them. Most problems come when a upper management control freak thinks the world revolves around him. He should be the only one that makes a living and would love to be a manager in China.
Just remember if the middle class disappears would you be on the have or the have not side of the fence like most of Latin America. Unions do not solve all the problems but it allows average workers some protection. | |
|  nunyaWho is John Galt?Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
kudos:5
·Charter
·voip.ms
| Former Bell Comment I ran the gamut from SWBT, SBC, and AT&T. I was union the entirety. I can say this without hesitation about Ma Bell. She treats her employees like CRAP! Management and union (executives exempted). It's tough, monotonous, grueling, boring work. But, she pays good and gives good benefits. That's the only reason people stay there.
Take that away, and see what you get left with.
Here are that bad things I saw: Laziness, or more importantly, protected laziness. There were a few bad apples. The vast majority busted their asses every day.
I believe strongly that merit should play an important role in any job, union or not.
Forced overtime, especially in outside jobs, was prevalent. The amount of forced OT often crossed the line of dangerous. You can only whip a mule so long.
Also, your hands were tied much of time. Often, you were not permitted to make necessary plant repairs due to budget or time constraints. You were forced into poor customer service, and left to be the "face of the company" with customers who don't have a clue (and rightfully, shouldn't have to). Another program along these lines is / was called "good jobs in 8". A moronic anti-quality performance metric system.
The CWA / IBEW also funnel a lot of dough to liberal / socialist / communist causes and agendas.
I have to admit, without a union at Ma Bell, it would be an unbearable job.
I left and started my own NON-UNION company. My employees are Me, Myself, and I. I still get picketed and harassed by moron union members. This is something that really bugs me about unions too. They think they are "entitled" to whatever they claim or set eyes on.
This is a piss poor time for any type of negotiations, because there really are qualified people waiting in line to take these jobs. Would these people be willing to do it for less money? Maybe for a little while. When the economy improves, they'll be running for the door though.
I think in a case like AT&T, you have to take the "bad" that comes with any union.
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Looks like Reverend Wright got his wish - God Damn America. | |
| | | | Re: Former Bell Comment said by nunya: I left and started my own NON-UNION company. My employees are Me, Myself, and I. I still get picketed and harassed by moron union members. Welcome to my world.
Do the idiots picket at the end of your driveway at home and tell your neighbours you are a scab for doing their protected work. | |
| | | | said by nunya:I ran the gamut from SWBT, SBC, and AT&T. I was union the entirety. I can say this without hesitation about Ma Bell. She treats her employees like CRAP! Management and union (executives exempted). It's tough, monotonous, grueling, boring work. But, she pays good and gives good benefits. That's the only reason people stay there. Take that away, and see what you get left with. Here are that bad things I saw: Laziness, or more importantly, protected laziness. There were a few bad apples. The vast majority busted their asses every day. I believe strongly that merit should play an important role in any job, union or not. Forced overtime, especially in outside jobs, was prevalent. The amount of forced OT often crossed the line of dangerous. You can only whip a mule so long. Also, your hands were tied much of time. Often, you were not permitted to make necessary plant repairs due to budget or time constraints. You were forced into poor customer service, and left to be the "face of the company" with customers who don't have a clue (and rightfully, shouldn't have to). Another program along these lines is / was called "good jobs in 8". A moronic anti-quality performance metric system. The CWA / IBEW also funnel a lot of dough to liberal / socialist / communist causes and agendas. I have to admit, without a union at Ma Bell, it would be an unbearable job. I left and started my own NON-UNION company. My employees are Me, Myself, and I. I still get picketed and harassed by moron union members. This is something that really bugs me about unions too. They think they are "entitled" to whatever they claim or set eyes on. This is a piss poor time for any type of negotiations, because there really are qualified people waiting in line to take these jobs. Would these people be willing to do it for less money? Maybe for a little while. When the economy improves, they'll be running for the door though. I think in a case like AT&T, you have to take the "bad" that comes with any union. Wow, you just equated liberalism and socialism with communism. *facepalm* Obviously you're not BIASED at all are you?
I *really* tire of explaining the difference between communism and socialism. Personally I think every freaking human being in the USA should be forced to take a class on basic political and economic systems and *pass* that class before being allowed to vote.
Look, there are rules in unions. If you don't adhere to those rules even a union can't protect you. The whole point of the union is to prevent workers from being taken advantage of by employers in an environment where employers hold all the leverage. | |
| | | nunyaWho is John Galt?Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
kudos:5 | Re: Former Bell Comment Took it. Passed it. Living it. You think your so high and mighty. I'm quite clear on what all three agendas are, and their intermingling.
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Looks like Reverend Wright got his wish - God Damn America. | |
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| | | so? Boo hoo for the poor union thugs that have to actually PERFORM to keep their jobs. Any company I ever run that unionizes closes the next day. | |
| | teletech
join:2009-06-01
Port Saint Lucie, FL | Re: so? I just love how people that haven't even read the discussion can comment OH poor union workers they actually have to PERFORM!!!! Where in this whole discussion did one person complain about having to work harder or less???? The only thing the union people are complaining about is their health care! No one is saying where is our big fat raise like the executives are given, we would just like to see that we are not losing what we already have. At&t has already made 6 billion dollars profit since the 1st of the year!! But who has made this company so profitable? ITS EMPLOYEES!!! with out us there would be no At&t! Can you please back up your comment about every union company you have ran has closed its doors! | |
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| | The PLAN Att has planned as far back as 2007 to break the union...It began with changes, like the new security policy op78, tighter than fort knox, but gee only 5 yrs after 911 we care about security.New jobs, fragmenting other titles to gut the "skills" out. New managers faster than a supermart and the rules become more and more obsessive, to the point of information overload. Policies to be reviewed and changes enacted every month. The managers were baited by performance based bonuses to the point of kiting numbers thru manipulation of the time matrix. Then they fired the ones who didn't lie because their numbers weren't good...corruption starts from the top, lies are the tools of the greedy who manipulate for profit and gain. The normal became insane....everyday you went to work you wonder what next?
This Goal/ bonus policy changed the way even Uverse was deployed. If a goal was set for x amount of living units per month, planners would pass lower a LOWER DA for a denser Distribution area. So if your nice cul de sac has $1 million dollar homes but nowhere near the density of a lower income condo complex or burb. so you lose....reverse cherry picking. The numbers matrix is the new god in the corporate world. Everything is generated from the repair to the build, based on not real world time needs, but what can be done for the cheapest or biggest bang for the buck and get a bonus while were at it. The Tech is given time to pick up your job, go to the job, diagnose the problem and fix it....it's the customers time they took the day off to meet the tech they deserve the time they pay for thru monthly fees like your LMC. But the dispatching is all Matrix and it doesn't care about your job or what you took time off for. Can be reached number is a was the company can PUSH your repair out because you a now "not out of service" you got a cell right? 3 days or more....Do the techs really call before they come?
I could go on.... but the real MONSTER, is the company.Grateful we have jobs and like our jobs that many of us put years into. So we tried to follow these rules but it became the insane asylum, sometimes we must step back and see we are pawns being manipulated. The company boasted were the largest US union employer...were doomed. We like GM not we provide a service not a one time sale...Wireless is the way of the future not ...I'll watch TV on a BIG screen and not on my Iphpony. We get nickle and dimed to death as wireless customers yet we wait in line for the next TOY .....sad ....anyway looks like the plan worked and maybe att wasn't the only company with a plan to biring the middleclass to it's knees. | |
| | | | Re: The PLAN Wouldn't it be funny if instead of breaking the unions AT&T was itself broken up by the government?
The irony would keep me laughing for days. | |
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| | Sock it to 'em!! Some years ago, I was concerned, when SBC Communications became the 'new at&t'. I was right to be concerned!
If you think the 'new' at&t acts accordingly, to the laws in ALL countries it operates in, you've got another thing coming!
Yes! I admit, I'm a former at&t employee ... and especially, NOW, post the BellSouth merger ... all the BS management, is pulling 'ma' bell down. It should be, inbred uncle, twice removed bell.
the higher ups, don't give a rodent's backside about the employees. They're all disposable! If and when a strike happens, the management employees are scattered about, to cover union jobs.
If a strike happens, those managers will have to work extra, and won't get but the salary they get. On what planet is that right?
You work, you get paid... it's that simple!
the 'new' at&t, should be held to higher standards!
If they'd make waves, others would have no choice but to follow suit.
Sure ... there are TONS of employees (not just at&t) that aren't worth the air they breathe ... but that doesn't mean you treat them like poop, until they quit or do something to get fired. Every company, has bad employees, and bad management ... but with at&t, bad management is corporate culture!
This won't be the end of it either! Count my words! This isn't the end!
I'd like to see, a phone company with respectable management that shows U.S. that they actually give a damn now and then. Instead, we have the 'new' at&t?
I for one, won't give at&t another red cent! | |
| | | eh every week it's another union striking...
do some freakin work and QQ! | |
| | | term employees are there any term employees from D4 who can shed some ligh on wether or not they got made permanent?
maybe a union exec can answer this... | |
|  DavidI have a son- d3Premium,VIP
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL
kudos:68 | For those that have asked: Yes I am district 6, and yes I am still working without a contract. | |
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