# Ma Bell is Hiring Wire Techs



## PatGarret2012 (Feb 27, 2014)

Go to Att.com under careers link.  They are hiring techs state wide and other states as well. Get your foot in door type work. Don't ask me what or where, I don't know. I just know they will put you to work


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## moodman (Mar 14, 2014)

Don't do it boys!!! Horrible job!!!


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## The mtn man (Apr 16, 2014)

Yep I'm stuck in this field now, sure wish I would have taken a different career path, when it was just phone work it was a great job, now it has became a fiasco, stress and responsibilities are getting to be almost unbearable, pay not going up, benefits going down.Crazy amount of forced overtime, adding more and more taskes without hiring more people. I don't work for ATT just another large company.But I understand this is the norm for the industry.Alot of good folks are walking away.


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## Ihunt (May 4, 2014)

Pay will be ok. Stress will be there. Overtime will be about 13 days on 1 day off. They are hiring wire techs who do the DSL And IPDSL. They treat them fellows pretty bad. If it's all you can find go for it but I wouldn't burn any bridges to get it.


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## gahunter12 (May 15, 2014)

Ihunt said:


> Pay will be ok. Stress will be there. Overtime will be about 13 days on 1 day off. They are hiring wire techs who do the DSL And IPDSL. They treat them fellows pretty bad. If it's all you can find go for it but I wouldn't burn any bridges to get it.



Exactly. I have 15yrs with Ma Bell. I absolutely LOVED my job until the Death Star took over. I really feel for those Wire Tech boys. It's a pay check, but that's it.


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## mrmeanbean74 (Oct 8, 2014)

well try a bodyshop now that sucks


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## drippin' rock (Feb 19, 2015)

Bump.   We're hiring again. Solid job, good benefits. All you need is common sense and a willingness to work.  Yes, it's not the good old days, but what is?


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## pstrahin (Feb 19, 2015)

Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta, there will be some opportunity for people in that line of work as well.


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## Gaducker (Feb 19, 2015)

Ihunt said:


> Pay will be ok. Stress will be there. Overtime will be about 13 days on 1 day off. They are hiring wire techs who do the DSL And IPDSL. They treat them fellows pretty bad. If it's all you can find go for it but I wouldn't burn any bridges to get it.



Some guys I know say they been doin 13 on 1 off for 2 years now and most days they say they work sun up till sundown.   They say its because they wont hire anyone so maybe this round of hiring will give everybody a break.


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## cwa1104sab (Mar 2, 2015)

Counting down the weeks till I can get out...104 weeks left as of today. Definitely not the same as when I started 28 years ago but like someone said....what is ?


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## SKEETER2 (Aug 16, 2015)

If you would like to have a family life, run as fast as you can. They do as much or more than service techs, and get paid a good bit less.


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## The mtn man (Oct 11, 2015)

What is the logic with 13 on and 1 off, would it be breaking a stretch? Most telecom companies have a 14 day stretch rule, if company forces employees to work 14 days straight they have to pay overtime every hour worked starting day 15 until there is an off day. My company pulls this crap all the time, it's like they want their cake and eat it too! It seems to me if a fella works 2 weeks straight daylight til dark not seeing his family they could at least make a little extra money for their sacrifice .


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## The mtn man (Oct 12, 2015)

flynlow said:


> I work in this business too and realized a long time ago it's not about you or the customer, it's about the corp executives and how much they can rob the company before they move on to another company and start doing the same there. Look up your company's executives salaries with all their stock options, bonuses, and how much they get at the end of their contract. It's more than you and I make our entire careers put together several times over. It's disgusting and I can't wait to tell them where to shove it.



I hear ya brother!! Ceo  for my company salary is 8.5 mill. That's not counting the other perks. The company that sold us to this company was worse. Ceo got 10 mill per year raise putting him at 20 mill per year salary. His assistance made 1 mill per year. Then they cut our force, benefits then sale us off to an even crappier company. My day will come eventually, I hope.


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## The mtn man (Oct 13, 2015)

I read about an american based telco took over a French telco. There were 24 employees in the same area that committed suicide in the first year . Welcome to the American corporate world! This business has gotten out of hand. False advertisements, ceo's milking the budgets, employees paying the price.


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## Ihunt (Oct 22, 2015)

cklem said:


> What is the logic with 13 on and 1 off, would it be breaking a stretch? Most telecom companies have a 14 day stretch rule, if company forces employees to work 14 days straight they have to pay overtime every hour worked starting day 15 until there is an off day. My company pulls this crap all the time, it's like they want their cake and eat it too! It seems to me if a fella works 2 weeks straight daylight til dark not seeing his family they could at least make a little extra money for their sacrifice .



Yes, That is what it is. If they work you 14 days straight they have to pay you time and a half until your next scheduled day off. They will not allow that to happen so they break you every 13th day.


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## Ihunt (Oct 22, 2015)

cwa1104sab said:


> Counting down the weeks till I can get out...104 weeks left as of today. Definitely not the same as when I started 28 years ago but like someone said....what is ?



23.5 and counting. The 4 year contract gets me close. One more after that and I will have my 30. Not the same as when I started. Not even close.

Southern Bell,
 Please come back. We miss you and so do your customers. You were so kind and fun. We laughed and played every day. Oh where did you go?


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## The mtn man (Nov 14, 2015)

Ihunt said:


> 23.5 and counting. The 4 year contract gets me close. One more after that and I will have my 30. Not the same as when I started. Not even close.
> 
> Southern Bell,
> Please come back. We miss you and so do your customers. You were so kind and fun. We laughed and played every day. Oh where did you go?



Yea, we need ma bell back!!!


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## bfriendly (Nov 23, 2015)

Dont they HAVE to pay you time and a half for anything over 40hrs/week?

I was thinking this sounded like Good $$ til I am hearing the lack of OT Pay........


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## The mtn man (Dec 11, 2015)

We actually get OT after 8 hours, in other words, if you work 40 hours in 2 days, you get paid OT for 24 hours and 16 regular, we were referring to OT if you work 14 days straight they have to pay OT every hour worked until you get a day off, they like to force working 13 days and off 1 day so they don't have to pay the "stretch" pay.


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## Ihunt (Feb 12, 2016)

Ladies/gentlemen,

 They are still hiring. Please read the above post. The new contract made it better for these positions but I wouldn't think of this as a long term career. If you are retired military or something like that who is looking for extra income it would be great. 

The problem for you younger fellows will be no time off for school or being young and dumb. You act up and they will fire you. They do not tolerate tardiness or calling in sick at all.


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## The mtn man (Feb 23, 2016)

Are these (prem. tech), jobs, meaning techs that only work from the serving term to the jack? I hear AT&T started this new job classification and it pays half what the original I&r techs are paid? But your right, I don't recommend a young guy going into this, unless your starving, or have no other option, it is not laid back at all like folks think. I will say I've made a living in this business though, I'll probably have some sort of stress related illness before my time, but I blame myself for getting trapped.


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## 95g atl (Feb 23, 2016)

what's the approximate hourly starting rate?


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## The mtn man (Feb 26, 2016)

95g atl said:


> what's the approximate hourly starting rate?



I'll give you the best answer I can, my company starts out from $12-$20 per hour, depending on experience and proven ability, topping out now around$30. But if these are the prem techs I referred to above I couldn't guess, I hear the top pay is around $15. As for the hourly rates I first mentioned that is probably par for the course pretty much nation wide unless your in a north eastern state, or a union strong hold where the hourly rates are more around $40 per hour. With double time after 50 hours.


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## JROESEL (Feb 27, 2016)

cklem said:


> I'll give you the best answer I can, my company starts out from $12-$20 per hour, depending on experience and proven ability, topping out now around$30. But if these are the prem techs I referred to above I couldn't guess, I hear the top pay is around $15. As for the hourly rates I first mentioned that is probably par for the course pretty much nation wide unless your in a north eastern state, or a union strong hold where the hourly rates are more around $40 per hour. With double time after 50 hours.




Ok gentleman let me clear this up, the name has changed from wire tech and the responsibilities have changed as well, now a tech has direct tv, fiber, copper, port swaps, drops, pair changes and responsibilities are going up, the pay is around 23$ top out, they have a great incentive program that pays you for what you are already being payed for, to work.. You can make up to 12000 tax free bonus a year as long as you hit your numbers, and numbers aren't out of line, as far as stress, that's going to be anywhere you go, just depends on how you want to handle it, benefits are great, very good health insurance, and as far as the union, you don't like it don't join,  the union represents 28000 bargained for employees ( hourly employees ) just in the southeast, so if you want someone to buy you books, send you to school, buys your tools, and allows you to drive there vehicle and burn there gas while you make money, you might want to look into it. 
As far as ot, you want it you'll get it, the new contact states after 14 hours ot, you don't have to work no more for that 7 day period. After the first 6 minths you get 8 personnel days and a week vacation, at a year you get two weeks vac and 8 personnel days, Not a bad gig for a young person to learn something and have the opportunity to advance knowledge and education,


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## Ihunt (Apr 6, 2016)

The above post is right on. It has gotten a lot better for the prem tech/ wire techs. They can not be forced as much. It's not a great job but it's not near as bad as it was.


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