KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Over 17,000 union workers employed by AT&T Southeast are on strike, including several here in East Tennessee.
The union, Communications Workers of America, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board and initiated the strike on Friday after negotiations broke down with AT&T over a new union contract. CWA said AT&T was not negotiating the contract in good faith and said the company sent unqualified representatives to the bargaining table.
Workers with CWA Local 3805 in Knoxville held signs and began striking along West Magnolia Avenue outside the AT&T Building and said they are "fighting for more in 24." Local 3805 workers were also seen striking in Maryville, Sevierville, Morristown, and elsewhere across East Tennessee Friday.
The union represents technicians, customer service representatives and others who work on AT&T's wired telecommunications network in Tennessee and the rest of the Southeast.
"Our union entered into negotiations in a good effort to reach a fair contract, but we have been met at the table by company representatives who were unable to explain their own bargaining proposals and did not seem to have actual bargaining authority required by the legal obligation to bargain in good faith," CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt said. "Our members want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers deserve. It's time for AT&T to start negotiating in good faith so that we can move forward towards a fair contract."
AT&T responded to the strike Friday and said the union's complaints were "not grounded in fact." It said it had been seriously negotiating with the union and pointed to three agreements it made earlier in 2024 that covered more than 13,000 employees.
"We're disappointed that union leaders would call for a strike at this point in the negotiations, rather than directing their energies toward constructive discussions at the bargaining table. This action needlessly jeopardizes the wages and well-being of our employees," AT&T said.
AT&T said it will take "various business continuity measures" to avoid disruptions to its operations during the strike.
