CWA Techs Clear Up Battery Malfunction

Thanks to CWA efforts in Districts 4, 6 and 9, a potentially serious problem affecting back-up batteries for AT&T's U-Verse system has been fixed. This action alleviated a real job hazard before any injuries were caused to workers or consumers.

CWA members played a big role in not only warning AT&T about problems with the batteries, but also in getting the company to replace them properly.

Problems with the batteries located in equipment cabinets outside commercial buildings and residences began in late 2006, and fires and explosions were reported in Houston, Tex., and near Cleveland, Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisc.     

The malfunctioning batteries got the attention of CWA technicians who were experienced in installing and checking them. Techs began noticing a red warning light that would come on in some of the units, and CWAers looked for more information. The fires and explosions were found to be caused by a malfunctioning component that caused some of the units to overheat. And in more bad news, the battery maker, Avestor, went bankrupt in 2006. 

"We voiced concerns after the battery explosion," explained CWA Local 6222 member Gabriel Precella. "But the company basically brushed us off. They told us that the problem was very rare," he said.

From the time the first explosion occurred in Houston, CWA safety and health activists from Districts 4, 6 and 9 coordinated their efforts, holding conference calls to share information and pushing the company to get the replacement job done right.

Following the explosion outside Milwaukee, technicians from Local 4603 began replacing the malfunctioning batteries. They were pulled off the job, however, when AT&T directed its local management to give the job to outside contractors.

"It was a bad decision," said Chris Stapelfeldt, an outside tech and Local 4603 secretary-treasurer. "We install the batteries and know how to swap them out without causing a service interruption," he said. "It's what we are trained to do."

After untrained contractors took out service for a number of residential customers and one major business client, the replacement and repair work was moved back to CWA members.

CWA District 9 also won agreement from AT&T that CWA techs, not contractors, would replace the potentially dangerous batteries.

 Now, in every community where AT&T is building out U-Verse, the 17,000 batteries have been replaced.

Photo Caption: CWA played a major role in warning about defective back-up VRAD batteries. The before and after photos relate to an exploding battery in Qauwatosa, Wis. in 2007.