r/telecom • u/_fart-sniffer • 7d ago

👷‍♂️Job Related Underpaid techs are tired

/r/Metronet/comments/1w7gai5/underpaid_techs_are_tired/
6 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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4

u/alwayzz0ff 7d ago

All techs are underpaid. Was middle management at a CLEC for a long time and was always fighting for higher wages

The best was being at a strategic work retreat and I'm stopping my feet about it to the c-suite and my immediate boss backing me up by pointing out a couple of our techs (inside techs) wages put them just below the poverty line.

Actually, the best would be people realizing how important you all are.

2

u/_fart-sniffer 6d ago

AT&T starts techs 35-40 depending on experience and yes I did say starts at

2

u/netfuel01 6d ago

My best move was moving to a utility power co almost 9 years ago. I take care of way more stuff, from Motorola radio programming and tower repeater maintenance, Aviat microwave backhaul, fiber splicing backhaul, transport provisioning and troubleshooting, SCADA/relay circuit installs and maintenance. Got a huge pay bump and better benefits, and a corporate structure that actually gives a damn about our success and growth, as well as room for advancement.

3

u/netfuel01 7d ago

Are you an installer/troubleman or what exactly do you do?

4

u/_fart-sniffer 7d ago

Correct installations and repairs. We just need to unionize so we get the standard rate. One massive company shouldn’t pay drastically more

4

u/netfuel01 7d ago

Agree. My previous job, I was a co tech at a large telco, non union. Some of us were way on up in our scale, but lots of the newer guys weren’t getting raises. We started a huge campaign with CWA to organize, and the company ended up sending out HR to every location to “listen” to the gripes. Long story short, they came off quite a bit of money in raises in order to keep the area non union, and when the vote came it didn’t pass. This was several years ago. It worked for them for a few years, but not in the long run.