Around 1,700 Charter employees in New York and New Jersey walked off the job just about three months ago, saying the recent acquisition of Time Warner Cable has resulted in even worse benefits and working conditions. The workers, who range from warehouse employees and field techs to head end engineers, are members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 -- which have been without a contract since 2013. The workers say that Charter Communications has been even more intractable in negotiations than Time Warner Cable was.
This week, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio tried to get things moving by offering his help.
"This is a situation that has to be resolved for the good of NYC," de Blasio told local news outlets. "I just want to emphasize as Mayor I am ready to step in if City Hall can provide good offices to try and resolve this matter. I very much want to. We’re talking about working people who are trying to make ends meet."
The Mayor was quick to highlight how reports recently revealed that Charter CEO Tom Rutledge made more money than any executive in America last year with $89 million in annual compensation. Compensation doled out despite the fact that most consumers (and many employees) feel he bungled the company's $79 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, resulting in higher prices and (somehow) even worse customer service than the abysmal service the company is already known for.
"So I have to imagine the resources are there to give working people a decent contract, and I hope this is something that can be resolved for everyone’s benefit," de Blasio said.
Those interested can track the ongoing strike via
this thread in our Charter forums.