Brightspeed employees picket following email response from corporate

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (WDHN) — A disconnect between the local union of Brightspeed, an internet service provider, and their corporate office.

On Saturday in Enterprise, the local CWA union of Brightspeed workers gathered to hold an informational picket outside their building. They want better pay, a cap on overtime, and sick days that will be separate from their already designated paid time off.

This week they received an email about their counterproposal from Brightspeed of putting a cap on overtime hours and they say the company rejected it.

However, the company, who declined to interview with us then, claims the email is inaccurate and they have not rejected a proposal.

For the last month, the Wiregrass internet service providers have been working on a temporary contract recently extended last week.

“They are still not wanting to negotiate,” Local Union Treasurer and Brightspeed Network Technician, David Griffin said. “It’s not so much that they don’t want to meet the demands, they don’t even want to come to the middle of it. We’ve got a couple of key issues that we are trying to settle on and in the words of Brightspeed, ‘We are still miles apart.'”

Saturday marked the second informational picket the union has held and they say if their needs aren’t met then they will strike, which has not been seen here locally since the 1970s.

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