AT&T workers continue to strike in Jacksonville amid accusations of ‘bad faith negotiations’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Picket signs waved outside San Marco’s AT&T store in Jacksonville Wednesday as local employees of the company and the Communications Workers of America union continue their strike.

Workers said the 17,000 AT&T employees are striking across the southeast U.S. over what they say are “bad faith negotiations” of fair wages and employee benefits.

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“We feel we are sending men and women like that are behind me to bargain, and while we do have an attorney available to us, we expect to bargain with the company negotiators who have the authority to bargain, not an attorney,” CWA 3106 Vice President Joshua Denmark said at Wednesday’s protest.

Action News Jax reached out to an AT&T spokesperson, who said in part, “We are committed to reaching a fair deal for our employee members of CWA District 3 [southeast], with wages that outpace projected inflation and many other benefits that reflect today’s competitive job market.”

Meanwhile, while some customers in Jacksonville have posted about disruptions on social media, the company said they continue to operate normally throughout the strikes.

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Now, 13 days into the ongoing strikes across Jacksonville, the union hopes the company will send its decision-makers to the negotiating table in an act of good faith.

“At this point, the strike has nothing to do with individual issues, it’s solely about them sending people to the table to negotiate,” Denmark said. “If they can send somebody to the table that can make agreements, we’d more than happily go back to work where we all belong.”

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AT&T’s full statement given to Action News Jax in response to the strikes can be found below:

“We are committed to reaching a fair deal for our employee members of CWA District 3 [Southeast], with wages that outpace projected inflation and many other benefits that reflect today’s competitive job market. We’ve successfully negotiated 3 agreements already this year, including a tentative agreement 3 weeks ago with CWA District 9 [West] that recognizes the hard work and many contributions from those employees.

“To eliminate any doubt about our sincerity and our conduct, as well as underscore our commitment to constructive dialogue, we’ve invited a federal mediator to join the negotiations.

“We’ll continue to ensure our customers receive the excellent service they deserve by taking action to minimize any disruptions from CWA leadership decisions.”

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