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Last month, Contractors at Gale Corp cut back on security for the Alpharetta complex. To reduce costs at this building, there will no longer be a guard at the loading dock to verify or secure deliveries to this building.
AT&T contractors from Gale Corp reporting to GRE, decided to terminate the loading dock guard who was responsible for security at that location. To cut costs, non-employees delivering packages and mail to this building will be monitored by front desk guards using remote camera monitoring. Delivery personnel will now ring a bell for entry into the building, and then they will have unescorted access from the loading dock to the mailroom. Sound secure, well it doesn’t get better. The delivery person walks over to an unattended desk, signs in, picks up a badge for themselves, and “voila” they have complete unescorted access to the building, along with any package they have brought in, without ever being checked. The following are the directions that the company has left on the unattended sign-in table for the delivery person: Attention Mail Room Delivery Personnel Please pick up a “Mailroom Delivery Badge” from the table and wear while making delivery. Directions to Mail Room Go through double doors and down the hall to the elevators on the left. Take elevators to 1st floor. Exit elevators to the left, Mail Room entrance on left. That’s right, those are the actual directions the company provided for outside delivery personnel, which gives them complete unescorted access of the Alpharetta building. Where is the security? Although there are cameras located in some of the hallways off the loading dock, how can a lone security guard at the front of the building assure that the delivery person is not wandering the complex? What if they are distracted from their monitoring duties? Most importantly, who is looking out for the hundreds of employee’s safety at the Alpharetta building? What are the procedures for handling more than one delivery person at a time? It is your Unions position that if this was a cost issue, other alternatives should have been more seriously considered before implementing this reckless proceedure. It seems that AT&T may understand cost but they know nothing about value. These doors and hallways off the loading dock are used continuously by many employees and secure access doors do not close immediately, providing easy access to unauthorized personnel. If a security event did occur, it would take security personnel several minutes to even be aware of the situation and several more to reach it. Leaving our Member’s safety and security at Alpharetta to just monitoring and the trust of strangers irresponsible, insufficient, and reckless. Is this what we can expect from the new AT&T? We want this situation addressed and expect that AT&T live up to its health and safety responsibilities in the workplace. If our Members can be written up or suspended for not displaying their ID badges, then this is just another demonstration of the Company’s total disregard for their own security policies. AT&T needs to wake up and start making rational decisions, especially when it involves the health and safety of their employees and facilities. Local 3250 formally requested bargaining concerning the proposal regarding unescorted deliveries at the Alpharetta complex. Furthermore, we want to know how Gale Corp, an AT&T contractor and non-signatory of our contract, who have no obligation to abide to the Union Agreement, can make such a reckless decision involving the health and safety of employees at Alpharetta. The Company has been reminded that labor law forbids any implementation of a new policy until the bargaining process is completed. We will keep you informed of any progress we obtain for the resolving of this issue. In Unity There Is Strength. Roy Hegenbart President Local 3250 |
