AT&T makes over $1 billion in profits each month and had free cash flow of $17 billion in 2016. Despite its strong performance, AT&T is undermining the customer service standards and capabilities at the heart of its success.
- AT&T has eliminated more than 12,000 call center jobs since 2011, over a third of its total customer service workforce. These jobs have not been automated. They have been sent to low-wage contractors around the world.
- AT&T has increasingly shifted its retail store operations to third party dealers, with detrimental consequences for employee training and customer service. Sixty-one percent of branded stores are now run by such firms.
And the company is not delivering on the core business promises that customers have come to expect.
- AT&T has failed to deliver on its broadband commitments to California and Nevada, leaving many communities on the sidelines of the internet super highway.
Meanwhile, 40,000 frontline workers across wireline, wireless and DIRECTV are in protracted bargaining. Instead of coming to the table to work on fair, comprehensive solutions to these challenges, AT&T is undercutting the very employees that customers depend on.
Last month, 17,000 workers on the West Coast walked off the job and thousands across the country are mobilizing and ready to do whatever it takes to settle fair contracts. Many of these workers have been with the company for decades. They are ready to stand up for their company, customers and communities.
The members of the Communications Workers of America want AT&T to be successful. But without ensuring high-quality service and empowering the frontline workforce that customers look to every day, we are gravely concerned about the future of the company.
VOTE FOR CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY
Randall Stephenson should not receive a 13% raise to $28.4 million when his employees don’t know if they’ll have jobs next week and there is widespread instability in the workforce.
Fellow shareholders, we encourage you to ask the company to address these problems head-on and work with their employees on fair, honest solutions to these challenges.