More than 20,000 AT&T workers across nine southeastern states, including workers in Selma, have gone on strike over unfair labor practices.

A group of local AT&T technicians, and workers who install and maintain the company’s wirelines gathered under a tent on Franklin Street on Monday, waving signs at passing cars with phrases such as, “honk if you support workers” and “fighting for the middle class”.
According to statements given by representatives of Communications Workers of America Union, the strike is all about unfair labor practices.

According to local AT&T Wire Technician Wade Ousley, who has worked for the company for nearly 20 years, the strike began around midnight Friday.

Ousley, who is keeping up with the happenings of the strike through a group text and on social media, says that the strike is rumored to end Wednesday.

“Who knows, though,” he added. “There’s a guy here though who was part of a strike that lasted three weeks.”

According to Ousley, one of the factors that has led to the strike is that AT&T has eliminated provisions of Article 14.

The eliminations of these provisions allow the company to hire low wage subcontractors to perform construction tasks currently done by workers like Ousley and his fellow protesters, leaving them without work.

“Amongst the four of us,” said Ousley, “There’s basically three different levels of workers. This is effecting everybody… except management.”

The prospect of the company contract others to do their jobs is a scary thought to Ousley.

“Not drawing a paycheck, that’s really scary,” he said. “Going on a vacation is nice, but it’s not really a vacation when you’re not getting paid for it.”