VALDOSTA — About 60 local AT&T employees are joining more than 20,000 in striking against the company. 

The Valdosta employees began picketing Monday morning after the Communications Workers of America union announced Saturday employees in nine states would not work due to “unfair labor practices.”

“We’ve been trying to negotiate with the company, and they haven’t sent anybody that can literally sign off on a piece of paper on negotiated items,” said Steve Hazlehurst, area vice president of Communications Workers of America Post 3212.

AT&T’s Southeast region employees’ contracts ended Aug. 3. Since, Hazlehurst said, negotiations listed in the contract have not been signed off on because AT&T has not provided someone with authority to work with them on signing the contracts.

Hazlehurst wouldn’t get into specifics about the nature of the negotiations but said the contracts going unsigned cover more than 20,000 employees in AT&T’s southeast region, including Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana.

The strike includes wire technicians, central office technicians, call center employees and those who maintain the company’s network. The strike does not involve AT&T Mobility, the company’s cellphone division, but only landline operations, said Beth Allen, CWA communications director.

“All I can say is it’s unfair labor practice,” Hazlehurst said. “The negotiated items are how we work and what we work for.”

In a statement, AT&T said it remains willing to sit down to negotiate a contract.

“We strongly disagree with the union’s claims of unfair labor practices,” the statement said. “Our bargaining team is negotiating this contract with CWA leaders in the same way we have successfully done with dozens of other CWA contracts over the years. … That’s why we’re surprised and disappointed that union leaders would call for a strike at this point in the negotiations, particularly when we’re offering terms that would help our employees — some of whom average from $121,000 to $134,000 in total compensation — be even better off.”

Monday, AT&T employees wearing red shirts were spotted around town at its three Valdosta locations — downtown, off Norman Drive and off North Valdosta Road — and will continue striking until AT&T sends someone to negotiate and sign off on the employee contracts, he said.

“If no negotiations take place, then we’ll be on strike because our contract is up,” Hazlehurst said. “Right now, they have managers who can’t do our work but are out there trying to perform our duties. Meanwhile, they’re not performing their duties.”

Allen said she wouldn’t be surprised if AT&T customers saw increased wait times on customer service and delays for such services as installation.

Anthony Murphy, who stood outside the Norman Drive AT&T location, has worked with the company for eight years.

He joined 15 other employees in showing his support for the more than 20,000 on strike.

“I’m somewhat disappointed,” Murphy said. “I’d like to see cooperation on their side as well as our side to make sure everything comes together so we can continue to go out there and do our job.”

In the event the strike stretches past two weeks, the CWA strike fund will offer help to its members, Allen said.

Union pickets against ‘unfair labor practices’

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.