What’s the deal about the new Combination Technician in D3 ??
29 replies (most recent on top)
@zs nobody won anything yet. There is a 60 day negotiation going on in the South East between the company and union. Article 15 in the contract says that the company can create a new title. It’s gonna happen. Too much upside for the company.
@fr Not anymore as of now. I was under a manager in NC with ET & Deg. They just put all DEG under 1 manger in the state (28) Temporary. They are being split up under Uverse Supervisors August 1st. On the AFO-Consumer side. Also laid of 2 Supervisors that were DEG only before. They left July 1st. I am ET now was DEG. We were told we would be doing the same work and it never happened. I believe the CWA fought the Company and won to stop the Combo....
@q0:
“It might be in organizations that have already combined and the title will do both titles in the organization such as in network operations. The combo tech would do both deg work and work the CO. Also in bfs they would do both the dt jobs and also the systems tech job. The combo tech title is already being used in other districts this way.”
You would think this would make perfect sense. Especially since at the last contract negotiations T talked about eliminating some of the job titles that were exclusive to D3. The odd thing here is that they pulled DEG out of the org that the CO was in.
In most cases it will not be near as efficient as the current method. You are asking a tech that has only been trained or done 1 job In 20+ years to do the job of 4-5 techs with likely not much training or support. There are no contractors in the southeast. Most titles are capable over time of learning these new skills but it’s not going to happen overnight. It takes years to develop all of the skills needed to do everyone’s job in a safe efficient manner. This will make outages a daily occurrence and likely cause safety accidents to go up. It will cost company more money from lost efficiency .
@OP
It might be in organizations that have already combined and the title will do both titles in the organization such as in network operations. The combo tech would do both deg work and work the CO. Also in bfs they would do both the dt jobs and also the systems tech job. The combo tech title is already being used in other districts this way.
@ea The combo tech will be combining all duties and responsibilities of st,ft,opt,dt,co et,pwr et, and some hvac work according to brief. This is going to be a train wreck for both craft and the managers trying to manage it.
@a1 …All departments and only southeast. Appears to be a union busting tactic. Why would they only implement it in only one region?? Coincidentally, the southeast was the only region that went on a long duration strike.
@ef ..yes. All job duties will be combined and according to job brief it will include HVAC which no tech currently does.
@fd
"What about the combo managers, they will have much more responsibility too. They will also be reduced , glad I don’t have that job."
It's not that hard. Some managers already have CO and DEG combined.
And it's worth repeating... THIS IS ALREADY A THING AT COMPANIES MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN AT&T. Let that sink in....
What about the combo managers, they will have much more responsibility too. They will also be reduced , glad I don’t have that job.
Been years since I have been in a center. At one time you could set up a techs profile so that they would dispatch on specific areas and job types. Is there a need for every tech to have CDL licenses? Is there a need for every tech to have whatever specialized training that is needed for every role? However every tech should be able to do basic functions like installing or repairing trouble at the network interface. Toss in the possible flexibility with AI making decisions on time, distance, training level, etc. with added personnel.
@a6 just like those so calk coaches
Does this include power techs
Will the combo tech be required to have a Class B CDL like the OPT’s do?
Has anyone heard if this is also coming to District 4/midwest?
@av
"Worked well for a lot of rural areas for years. If you had been trained you did the work under the same title. Specialization has its benefits for larger areas with lots of work. Not so much in areas with lots of titles with little work."
Exactly correct. A combo tech wouldn't do specialized work like setting poles, pulling underground or aerials pole to pole. This would still need to be done by specialized titles or in rural areas, contractors, just as they do today.
Cross connects and transport equipment are pretty much the same at both ends of a circuit. It's not that hard to learn how to install a NID or ONT at a prem or change a plug and install cross connects in a small CO. CO's are morphing more and more into fiber hubs. Maybe the most difficult transition might be a CO tech installing a drop.
In metro areas with enough activity, separate jobs still make sense. Other telcos and cable companies have had end to end techs for years. I live out of footprint. When I had fiber installed, a contractor installed the new underground drop, then an employee installed the ONT and cross connects, with all the digital work done from a center. Chatting with the guy, he described exactly what a combo tech at AT&T might do during a day and shared that he actually enjoyed his day to day work.
If the main beef is learning new skills, I'll bet most of the complainers managed to figure out how to stream, shop online, use a smartphone, and the how features in their latest vehicles work, so they actually can learn something new after all with a bit of effort.
Wireline.
Is this for telephone/fiber? Asking for a mobility friends.
Who comes up with this stuff?? Many of the technicians have only done one title their entire career. The amount of training this will require to implement and they want to do this in January? I hues the goal is to provide such efficient great customer service we run the rest of our customers off. Lol. Better start dumping Att stock fast.
Been a thing for decades in NV…
Worked well for a lot of rural areas for years. If you had been trained you did the work under the same title. Specialization has its benefits for larger areas with lots of work. Not so much in areas with lots of titles with little work.
The most important question is whether the Combo Tech will be able to WFH
@a1:
In accordance with Article 15, Section 15.01 of the contract, this letter provides notice of the Company's
intent to create a new job title: Combination Technician in the Southeast. The intent of the Combination Technician title is to capture all job duties currently performed by technician titles within the AT&T Southeast contract. The Combination Technician will be placed within wage scale 32. The complete job brief is attached for your review, but general details are provided below
as follows:
New Title:
Combination Technician (Southeast)
Wage Schedule: Wage Scale 32(Temporary)
Time Frame:
January 2027
Location:
Southeast New Title Function: Performs work indoors and outdoors in support of telephone and communication services. Installation, rearrangement, restoration, maintenance and repair of cable facilities, outside plant facilities and specialized circuits/equipment. The standard phrase "...responsibilities may include but are
not limited to the following" will be considered as part of the job description. The Combination Technician will be subject to Union representation, the tour length will be 40 hours, and the position will be assigned to Wage Scale 32. The Wage Scale 32 assignment will be designated as temporary in accordance with Article 15.01A of the Working Agreement and will be covered by the
overtime provisions as specified in Article 4.06A.
@OP LOL! Combo tech! They’ve tried this before! Always amuses me when they take an old idea that’s been done already and failed, and act like it’s something new and great.
Verizon already does this in rural areas
At&t is wanting to go back to the CWA bargaining table and create a combo tech wage scale 32 that does everything from setting poles and hanging cable to all repair work from the co to the customer
They sit and eat combos all day while watching Netflix
In rural areas one tech can do both field and CO work is the plan.
If you think about it, it can make sense. Instead of a field tech waiting for a CO person to travel from another area, they can do everything end to end. Some telcos have done this for years in remote areas, islands, etc...
What exactly are you talking about? What department? What organization? What titles are impacted? Why only the SE region?
If you can’t provide any details, it’s just fabricated nonsense.