AT&T's Union Workers Launch Pickets, Demand Fair Contract in 7 States

The Facts -

NATIONWIDE – In a significant move, fiber technicians and facility specialists at Forged Fiber, AT&T’s latest wholesale fiber initiative, are set to hold informational pickets across seven states. This action, scheduled for Tuesday, highlights their demand for a fair contract amidst ongoing negotiations. At the heart of the unrest is AT&T’s strategy to delegate critical infrastructure tasks to non-union contractors, even as it employs numerous unionized technicians who transitioned from Lumen Technologies earlier this year. This development coincides with AT&T’s bid to secure regulatory endorsement for selling a 50% stake in Forged Fiber to BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. ¹

Within the United States, AT&T employs a substantial number of frontline technicians, all represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). These professionals have played a pivotal role in establishing AT&T as the nation’s premier fiber internet provider. As the company aims to expand its fiber reach to 60 million locations by 2030, it seems to be increasingly leaning towards joint ventures (JVs) that utilize contractors, with about 13% of locations served by JVs as of the second quarter this year. ²³

Forged Fiber 37 marks AT&T’s second foray into wholesale fiber joint ventures. The initial endeavor, Gigapower, launched in partnership with BlackRock in May 2023, hinges entirely on subcontracted technicians for its operations. ⁴ Concerns about this contractor-centric model have been persistently voiced by the CWA to public officials and investors. In July 2026, the CWA released a detailed report on Gigapower’s deployment, drawing from corporate disclosures, municipal records, litigation documents, and field assessments. The report points to deployment delays, unmet buildout objectives, and ongoing costly legal battles with former contractor partners as key issues.

“AT&T has achieved success as a union company, with experienced and highly skilled union labor,” stated CWA District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister. “But instead of building on a successful union model, AT&T seems determined to replicate its race-to-the-bottom strategy that already failed at Gigapower. Our members at Forged Fiber are demanding that AT&T bargain in good faith and not put our communities and customers at risk by using substandard contracted services.”

Technicians at Forged Fiber 37, equipped with extensive expertise, have been integral to serving their local areas. However, AT&T’s unwillingness to engage in genuine negotiation and its strategy to bypass unionized labor represents a degradation of workers’ rights and the quality standards of work. This could have adverse effects on both consumers and public infrastructure. In August 2026, the CWA filed an unfair labor practice charge against Forged Fiber with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging a refusal to negotiate in good faith. ⁵

About CWA

The Communications Workers of America represents professionals across various fields, including telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, healthcare, public service and education, manufacturing, and tech.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion

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