I would guess that this will hit wireline and management more than wireless. Of course, now that retail is union, I'm sort of nervous because of the seniority question...

I'm contracted through a outsource call center so I guess I can fairly say I'm not worried. 😁

the_eraser said:
Yeah, whatever. He also said that the whole transition from Cingular to AT&T would be smooth. "Just a name change" and we all know how that turned out.

yeah no shyt

Are you kidding me??? The union saves your butt. I wouldn't want to get rid of the union if I were you. They get you more money and they help you keep your job. So if you knew what you were talking about you wouldn't make dumb comments like that.

I wasnt crying about it.. our union contract is out Feb. 1, so if they do not come to terms they can let us go. Our union did not ask for a no firing clause during negotiations. I am just concerned but I know I have nothing to worry about because my quality scores speak for themselves and I do it right because I do give a damn about doing my job right. Besides if *I* do my job right it means more bonus money for ME. 😎

CrZyDrVr said:
Are you kidding me??? The union saves your butt. I wouldn't want to get rid of the union if I were you. They get you more money and they help you keep your job. So if you knew what you were talking about you wouldn't make dumb comments like that.

NO. The union does NOTHING for me... they haven't in 3 years since I came to sales. the union breeds laziness. they only thing the union is good for is let the people that don't want to work get away with it a little longer... so no, the union doesn't do anything for me ans hasn't and won't.

Whatever dude your just ignorant. You don't know what the union is doing for you. Ya they may not have to be there for because you don't get written up. But they keep you from getting laid off as well as they keep those raises comin to you and keep at&t from screwing you too bad on new comp plans. So you go ahead be an ignorant a$$hole... Its ok we don't care about you anyway...

Before you get too gung ho about the union, be aware that in certain areas, the union had done little, if anything to help the employees. If you think they get you more money, tell me what you think after you have "maxed" out on the pay scale. Also, what good does a business if you make sure all raises are equal across the board? What is the drive to excel in your job if the guy who sits next to you and barely does their job get the same raise as you do every year? why try harder? Sad fact is the unions breed complacency. They make management unapproachable and all they do for the average Joe is take their money. Believe me, I wish the union was better but its not. I worked for ATT pre merger before the Union and post Merger. And be...
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Unions are only formed when the employees get too sick of the abuse of their employers and decide not to stand for it anymore. While your union may not do much now, they likely did quite a lot when they were first formed. The only person you can blame for a union is the company that caused it's formation, and that company is now getting exactly the kind of grief they deserve.

But exactly what kind of grief are they really getting if they now have max pay amounts for job titles, fewer or actually at time, easier decisions as far as true HR or promotion issues. While I agree at times, Unions are necessary, the talk that they save jobs is not totally correct. If that were the case, explain that to the multitude of union auto workers in Chillocothe, OH who lost their jobs due to plant closures. The union can negotiate and pull some power when locations are shutting down, but if the business cannot support those locations anymore, it ultimately hurts the business. And if that hurt goes to far, the business can go under. If the business goes under, so goes those protected union jobs. Now granted, that was an extre...
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I work for a non-union company that frankly needs one. Upper management doesn't give a crap about their employees other than how they can get the most out of you for the least, not what you deserve. There's no representation, just last year middle management sat down with upper management to discuss wages and benefits, to which the owner replied no with no explanation. They're concerned only with money, not with ethics and frequently reward misbehavior with promotions.

Hell, just last month an employee was buying phones at wholesale from store inventories to sell on eBay for his own profit. It wasn't illegal, but it's a blatant conflict of interest and they promoted him to a busier store for it. I've even personally caught a sales ...
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I may be leaping to assuptions, but it sounds as if you work for an indirect. And if thats the case, smaller companies are usually more prone to the type of blatant greediness you described. It also makes them less a candidate for a union because a union needs many employees to survive through dues and the such. All I know I went from a non-union shop to a union shop to a company that is non-union but works heavily with industries that are union and its better without. I guess I have the benefit of seeing it from both the inside and the outside.

It's a nationwide indirect with over 300 stores, so the union would definitely stick but the employees are too scared to start one. Believe me, the employers do a good job at keeping people down.

I do recognize the damage unions cause (just look at GM!), but I still contend its the fault of that company for there ever being a Union. If a company fails because of a union, I wouldn't waste a second feeling sorry for that company nor it's laid off employees.

Safeway was union. They got raise after raise for doing less until they raised themselves out of a job. GM and Ford need a bailout so they can pay the employes enoough to pay thier union dues and pay the retirees all that money.

I'm pretty sure that union dues are maxed out at one hour of your wages per month. Unions are part of the reason GM and Ford are failing, and they need to declare bankruptcy so they can restructure and ditch the unions.

It may depend. My wife pays more than an hours work for her monthly dues with the National Federal Employees Union.

I understand the whole raise to everyone across the board. I have maxed out on my raises with the company. If you rely soley on your hourly wage then you aren't making much. The real money is in commission. If they want to sit one their hands and not work hard thats more money for me. I think at&t employees are the most over-paid people in the market place right now. People should not be making as much as they do with this company. Its sick. The pay structure has no movement for promotion. No one wants to go to management because you make less with more work. The union balances that out and keeps the over paid people rich. This company has some of the most unqualified sales reps making way too much money. In the old days they had people with...
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And that is partly my point. That is partly to blame on the union as well as the company. In order to breed competition, which is necessary in a sales field, the pay scale must be allowed to either reward or reflect a given sales reps ability and results. Blanket protection for all employees may sound ideal, but it does nothing but set the bar lower so everyone can reach it.

I make a little over 10.00 an hour. The same job on the landline side at my same rate makes 17.00 an hour.. fewer customer base and more time in between calls. How fair is that?

ccareatatt said:
I make a little over 10.00 an hour. The same job on the landline side at my same rate makes 17.00 an hour.. fewer customer base and more time in between calls. How fair is that?

Its very fair considering the landline business is going way and that $17 an hour employees long term prospects are a lot dimmer then those in mobility.

Would you rather earn $10 an hour with job security or $17 an hour without.

Ask a $25 an hour Toyota worker if they would trade places with a UAW worker in Detroit who earns far more.....

Yeah i make less and care more. Have you ever called landline customer care? They all seem pretty dumb. They transfer to wireless DSL questions. When you call them they say.. OH i cant deal with you because that is a missouri account and i am in illinois.

bb1434 said:
Before you get too gung ho about the union, be aware that in certain areas, the union had done little, if anything to help the employees. If you think they get you more money, tell me what you think after you have "maxed" out on the pay scale. Also, what good does a business if you make sure all raises are equal across the board? What is the drive to excel in your job if the guy who sits next to you and barely does their job get the same raise as you do every year? why try harder? Sad fact is the unions breed complacency. They make management unapproachable and all they do for the average Joe is take their money. Believe me, I wish the union was better but its not. I worked for ATT pre merger before t

...
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CrZyDrVr said:
Whatever dude your just ignorant. You don't know what the union is doing for you. Ya they may not have to be there for because you don't get written up. But they keep you from getting laid off as well as they keep those raises comin to you and keep at&t from screwing you too bad on new comp plans. So you go ahead be an ignorant a$$hole... Its ok we don't care about you anyway...

You are the ignorant one. I'm not union becasue sales in my state isn't part of the union. they have done nothing for us. they have done nothing for our insurance, which is the same as management. union does get better benifits but at the cost of laziness ........................

CrZyDrVr said:
Are you kidding me??? The union saves your butt. I wouldn't want to get rid of the union if I were you. They get you more money and they help you keep your job. So if you knew what you were talking about you wouldn't make dumb comments like that.

I think thats what he was saying.....The UAW got Auto worker a $150K compensation package per year..more money..lots more money......only in the end they cannot "help you keep your job" Autoworkers for the big three are being let go in droves. Unions had their day.

Its funny US based foreign autoworkers are not as worried. Yet they earn only $96K total compensation....Needless to say they are not union for the most part and are not clamoring fo...
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