AT&T recently suffered a massive worker strike over unfair contracts and outsourcing, among other concerns, and a post by an AT&T employee on Medium indicates that things will only get worse for the internally embattled carrier. The convergence of workers totals over 20,000 nationwide, and includes workers of all stripes from AT&T’s various business interests, including landline, mobile, and DIRECTV. Installers, call center workers, technicians, and retail employees are all planning on coming together for a rally, and will reportedly be making a showing at AT&T’s next shareholder meeting. The post on Medium did not specify exactly how the shareholder meeting would be handled, only saying that the group of workers would be head. The large-scale rally, on the other hand, is set to be the largest show of workforce camaraderie in AT&T’s history.
The strike has roots in various places, but a lot of the action early on centered around California and Nevada. In fact, the one year anniversary of a group contract from that region, April 9, is the date set for the massive cross-state rally. The rally is set to include not only AT&T workers looking for better conditions and fairer contracts, but also the likes of union leaders and elected officials, who will help to formulate and drive home a message to AT&T and the world in no uncertain terms.
This big move comes as the industry at large faces a bit of a shift toward more worker-friendly policies; T-Mobile was recently forced to disband a company-owned union replacement called T-Voice, and Verizon workers went on strike not too long ago, backed by Senator and presidential runner Bernie Sanders. Across the wireless space and many other industries, workers are taking a stand against toxic workplace practices en masse. The drive for the pursuit of the American dream may be linked to the current sociopolitical climate in the United States. The Trump Administration’s cabinet, policies, and other aspects are controversial to say the least, and social change has been building and sweeping for years. It’s hard to say whether the current upheaval in wireless is a part of this wave, or if wireless workers have been holding back this righteous fury for another reason.