Thousands of ATT technicians in California and Nevada went back to work Thursday, ending a one-day strike after their union and the Dallas telecommunications giant reached a truce.
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An estimated 17,000 union members had gone on strike early Wednesday over a grievance about increased responsibilities for technicians who typically install and maintain the company’s U-verse television system.
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The spat highlighted ongoing tensions between ATT Inc. and members of the Communications Workers of America, District 9, who have been working without a contract since April 2016.
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The union announced the settlement agreement on its Facebook page late Wednesday. An ATT spokesman confirmed that the strike has been resolved and that employees returned to work on Thursday.
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Union officials said the walkout was triggered by ATT’s demand that technicians who typically install and maintain the company’s U-Verse TV service also work on the cables and hardware for landline phone service. (ATT’s wireless division was not affected.)
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The company will no longer require technicians to perform work assignments outside of their expertise and classification, the union said in a statement.
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The strike included only landline workers who belong to the CWA in California and Nevada.
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Union workers have said they have been increasingly asked to perform the duties of higher-paid employees and that ATT has proposed reducing sick leave and disability benefits and wants them to pay more for their healthcare.
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ATT has been under pressure to reduce costs as the phone market matures. Its wireless service faces increased competition from Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, and fewer people have been opting for landline phones.
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Last month, a bargaining agreement covering some 21,000 ATT wireless phone workers nationwide expired. ATT would like to reach a new accord with those employees as well as the wireline workers — that is, workers who deal with non-wireless services such as landline phone, broadband Internet and U-verse…