Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

Management here..I did the online training. Had to cheat to pass the assessment tests. Hmm.. but if IBEW does strike, oh well. I will still get paid.

In summary I agree with some of the posts here. But the arrogance that an office worker can't do the outside jobs is ignorant. While I'm most likely the last generation of outside guy (proper pronoun lol) who went management and retired last year, it's not rocket science. The last so called strike in bellsouth territory I smiled and waved to the picketing workers at the garage as they are co-workers who have those rights to stop working. I climbed poles, placed fiber, and provided customers service. Replacing those who did not want to work those days. When they came back to work my work was still waiting for my return. I did my recent CP training prior to departure, let them figure out who is left to retrain. I moved on taking my experience and money with me .

From Texas. The next time we go on strike, I will do what I did the last time for the ladies sent from finance from Arkansas to replace Commtechs in my office.
Here is the bathroom, here is a microwave we use to heat our lunch, and avoid these areas of town. Good luck.

Anyone can watch a series of YouTube videos and step by step how to repair a clothes dryer, regrout a tile floor, install a ceiling fan or drill through concrete. My CP assignment is for call center, but I think I could learn to be a technician in about 45 minutes. I’ll need a YouTube video on how to remove mustard stains from sitting in a burger jo--t not working all day…

I really hope that if we ever go on strike, you or someone like you gets sent several hundred miles from home to work in my Central Office. Once there you will need a complete understanding of 40 years of the AT&T network and equipment from 2 weeks of online training. By the way, you are classified as "non essential" and you will work +70 hours, NO overtime pay.

If you assigned CP duty, then be rest assured you are considered by T to be "Non Essential" management. I've been here a few decades, I seen who they send to "break" the Union are they are management employees that T sees that they can do without for some time. The essential managers stay home and don't have strike duty.

Most management office workers don’t know cable, fiber or copper or whats in a phone room. You need to know ethernet, T1s, dso’s, smart jacks, business voip, channel banks and multiplexers. You won’t be able to complete a job. You will need to know how to deal with the elements and environment also. Some can, some can’t. Can you use test equipment and punch down wires? Thats a start. I’d be willing to train but retired and moved on to other work. Buenos suerte hombre.

Here we go again.. This is fun, so I'll entertain this. The company is going to Smash the Union THIS TIME, just like they did before, and the time before that, and the time before that, AND the time before that. The only thing that happens when the Union strikes is they lose a few less benefits than non bargained "managers" Once the CP force is put in place, some desk jockeys die of a heart attack from doing physical work, some fall off of ladders and others crash company vehicles. This is a fact. By the way, if you are assigned CP duty, bet your azz you will be +500 miles away from home. This is how much T values you. Be sure to buy your boots early to "scare" the craft....

To be fair they're being high and mighty about replacing call centers and retail LOL. I'd love a strike just to laugh at them trying to lash easements.

No office worker can do a line mans job in winter windstorm fending off local gangs, by watching videos. CP training just shows the stupidity arrogance and the 19th century thinking.

Anyone can watch a series of YouTube videos and step by step how to repair a clothes dryer, regrout a tile floor, install a ceiling fan or drill through concrete. My CP assignment is for call center, but I think I could learn to be a technician in about 45 minutes. I’ll need a YouTube video on how to remove mustard stains from sitting in a burger jo--t not working all day…

CP workers are there to demonstrate to the Union that the company has the means and the will to withstand and ultimately break any strike.

That's called Power. And that's what the Union understands.

CPers are not efficient or even good at the roles they trained for. That's irrelevant. They only need to be able to to muddle through a strike until the Union folds or replacement workers can be brought on.

Because the union needs to understand there's limits.

And Power is the only language they understand.

"Power" give me a phucking break. The only "power" the C-Suite has is the ability to place AT&T into Billions of dollars in debt. So many of the "managers" that started as craft are gone. We are left clowns that think like this fool:

Post ID: @1xkh+1gBtWMRM
Pretty sure there’s 100,000 management employees who have completed their contingency training to do the jobs of the 100,000 non-management, bargained-for, union employees - do any work stoppage, walk-out or strike would have little impact on the customer. Especially with eStore and Authorized Retailers covering retail channel walk outs, plus Bots, Chat agents, overseas team and Online Account Manager covering call center walk outs, plus 3rd party installers and self install kits to cover technician walkouts. Contingencies are already reshaping the way work gets done.

Company can waste your time without paying you because of non-exempt status. This is the company runs by checking boxes, nothing to do with real competency or results. Just imagine if all the CP time and effort were to spend on tangible competitive improvements. No, not with this lot of genuses.

If you think mgt can do what our techs do day in and out you are just plain ignorant.

Because the union needs to understand there's limits.

And Power is the only language they understand.

Pretty sure there’s 100,000 management employees who have completed their contingency training to do the jobs of the 100,000 non-management, bargained-for, union employees - do any work stoppage, walk-out or strike would have little impact on the customer. Especially with eStore and Authorized Retailers covering retail channel walk outs, plus Bots, Chat agents, overseas team and Online Account Manager covering call center walk outs, plus 3rd party installers and self install kits to cover technician walkouts. Contingencies are already reshaping the way work gets done.

As an office worker it's good for you to understand the actual work that keeps the network running. Too many of our executives have no idea what it takes and think that software will reduce all of the fixed costs of building and operating a physical network.

I think there's a contractual obligation

It does help office workers appreciate the hard work of the linemen.

They are stupid with everything else, why do you think they are smart about this?

I pitty the customer that has to have an office worker like me do an install after watching a video.

Actually, I don't really pitty the customer, if they were stupid enough to pay our prices, they kind of get what they deserve.

So we can keep the business running if a contingency arises!