SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – AT&T workers picketed outside the company’s headquarters in Southwest Miami-Dade as part of an ongoing strike by the Communications Workers of America.
The strike, which began on Friday, involves over 17,000 technicians and customer service representatives across multiple states, including Florida.
7Skyforce captured dozens of workers striking along Southwest 56th Street and 127th Avenue on Monday morning. Police were on the scene to manage traffic.
The CWA has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against AT&T, accusing the company of not bargaining in good faith and sending undertrained personnel to handle technical work.
Union officials have expressed safety concerns regarding these practices and warned the public to exercise caution around AT&T work sites.
“Our members have seen them at work in their communities and documented unsafe practices, including failure to wear proper safety equipment, failure to secure ladders and other equipment putting the worker and nearby vehicles and pedestrians at risk, and failure to mark work areas with safety cones,” said Richard Honeycutt, Vice President of CWA District 3 in the Southeast. “We are encouraging members of the public to use extra caution when encountering these worksites.”
In response, AT&T said that CWA’s claims are unfounded and emphasized its commitment to reaching a fair agreement.
“CWA’s claims of unfair labor practices are not grounded in fact. We have been engaged in substantive bargaining since day 1 and are eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees. As evidence, we have reached 3 agreements this year covering more than 13,000 employees, including our most recent tentative agreement with District 9. We remain committed to working with District 3 in the same manner,” AT&T said in a statement.
The company also said that it has measures in place to minimize service disruptions.
The current contract expired on Aug. 3, and negotiations for a new contract have been ongoing since late June.
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