Kentucky AT&T customers share impact union strike is having on them

MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The Communications Workers of America (CWA) says 17,000 AT&T workers are on strike to protest unfair labor practices being committed by management during the negotiation process of a new union contract.

Now, AT&T customers here in central Kentucky are speaking up about how this is impacting them.

“It went out Thursday night and we tried to reboot it Friday morning before my husband went to his veteran’s breakfast, and it hasn’t worked since,” said Megan Goldstein, an AT&T customer.

She said AT&T told her they would send a technician to fix her internet last Friday, but they never came.

She added she’s called every day since asking for help.

“My husband and I are very heavy internet users. He’s a disabled Iraq war veteran who does use the internet quite a bit for entertainment purposes and to control his stress,” she said. “I’m involved in a job search right now, and of course, I can’t edit my resume, I can’t apply for jobs, I can’t apply for a doctoral program I’m looking at.”

Goldstein said that in the days following her initial call for help, customer service reps told her the issues were caused by the strike.

“I was like, I wish someone had just told me this from the beginning,” she said.

The Communications Workers of America is a labor union representing the thousands of technicians, customer service representatives and other employees.

Earlier this week, CWA sent a statement claiming AT&T had been sending undertrained managers and contractors to do the work of those on strike.

AT&T also released a statement to WKYT on this situation:

“We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement with CWA District 3, and we have offered to bring in a federal mediator to ensure there is no question about either side’s commitment to this process. Until a deal is reached, we have business continuity measures in place so that we can continue to provide our customers with the great service they deserve.”

“You need to right now do what is right for your employees and your customers because they are the backbone of your company,” Goldstein said.

An AT&T spokesperson added that the union’s claims of unfair labor practices during the current negotiations are false, and that they remain committed to achieving a fair contract that recognizes the work their employees do every day.

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