T AT&T Inc

By Drew FitzGerald 

Thousands of AT&T Inc. wireline technicians and call-center workers in California and Nevada walked off the job Wednesday, an escalation in long-running contract negotiations with the telephone company.

The Communications Workers of America said members in those states staged a grievance strike over changes that forced West Coast employees to work in areas outside their expertise. The workers have been without a contract since April and had authorized a strike last year.

AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said the dispute started Tuesday as a protest by a CWA local chapter in San Diego and spread to other areas Wednesday. While some workers have been working without a contract, Mr. Richter said California employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers already ratified a new agreement.

"A walkout is not in anybody's best interest, and it's unfortunate that the union chose to do that," he said. "We're engaged in discussion with the union to get these employees back to work as soon as possible."

A separate contract covering more than 21,000 AT&T wireless workers lapsed in February as the two sides bargained over steps to move call center operations overseas, outsource retail work and cuts to pay and benefits. This week's work stoppage only affected non-wireless workers.

Write to Drew FitzGerald at andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 22, 2017 16:07 ET (20:07 GMT)

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