A local union tonight is saying dozens of its members are fired from a business in Cambria County. And that they’re being replaced with A.I.
Reporter Baylee Wojcik spoke with the union President and tells us what they’re doing about it.
After announcing that they’re scaling back some operations in May, union officials say that local cable company Breezeline just terminated their entire Johnstown Customer Care Department.
They say that this decision violates their contract
“The customer care has been wiped out. They terminated all of them”
That’s what local IBEW Union President John Troha said after a meeting Tuesday Night.
He says that the cable company Breezeline employed dozens of community members until May, when half of the Customer Care Department was laid off. Now, he says the other half of the department was let go in late September.
“The first 13 was definitely a surprise because we just wrapped up negotiations for their contract. And it did not seem like it was going to be any layoffs, no terminations, no nothing. After these 13, we were worried that they might go for more. So yes, the first one was a surprise, the second one not so much.”
Troha says that in the union’s contract with Breezeline, the company is allowed to use subcontractors to do work that will help out the department.
However, he says if this results in the termination of employees, it’s not allowed.
“We’re told that the work being performed by these people’s jobs is A.I and subcontractors.”
“They still currently have probably 150 or more contractors from the Philippines working doing their job.”
Troha adds that the union recently went through the arbitration process with Breezeline, but all of their appeals were denied. He says aside from that, they’ve heard very little from the company itself.
Troha says that the union is going to continue fighting the decision.
“One I just found out was with the company. She’s 69 years old. She was with the company for 30 some years and was just laid off. So, it’s very big.”
Troha says that the union plans to meet with Breezeline lawyers about the issue next Tuesday.
We’ve reached out to Breezeline for comment and are awaiting a response.