WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – WECT got several reports of phone service outages from people living in southeastern North Carolina starting Thursday, Aug. 22.
AT&T gave the following statement on Friday:
“We are working as quickly as possible to restore internet service to customers in the Wilmington area after a contractor damaged our fiber line. We appreciate the patience of our customers as we make the repairs.”
As of Friday night, customers are reporting that service has been restored.
Meanwhile, over 17,000 Communications Workers of America workers for AT&T Southeast went on strike last week.
The CWA said on Aug. 22 that AT&T has refused to bargain over mandatory subjects and, despite negotiations beginning in late June, the company had not sent a representative with authority to make decisions. Meanwhile, the CWA says AT&T has been using unqualified subcontractors to keep the network working.
“I have been in close contact with CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, and I have complete faith in our bargaining team. I have told AT&T executives that the striking workers and the bargaining team have my full support. I expect AT&T to treat every member with respect and to send representatives to the table who have authority to bargain and who are serious about bargaining in good faith,” CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said in a statement.
On Aug. 23, AT&T says that the CWA’s claims of bad faith bargaining are false, and that its goal is to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the work of its employees.
“We’re trying to reach an agreement in the Southeast and know that it is ultimately constructive dialogue that is the only path and influencer to success. At our invitation, a federal mediator has joined the bargaining table so that there can be no doubt about the sincerity of our words and actions on this critical matter,” an AT&T statement reads.
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