When Andrew Absher started working as a security technician with ADT, he looked forward to a good career that would provide for him and his wife in Winston-Salem, N.C.

But the young family got dealt a strong blow on Feb. 13, when ADT locked Absher and 18 of his co-workers out of their jobs. The techs have been trying to get a collective bargaining agreement since voting in 2013 for representation from IBEW Local 342.

Andrew Absher: ‘I thought it was going to be a good company, a good job, a good career move. That ended up not being the case.’

“I thought it was going to be a good company, a good job, a good career move. That ended up not being the case,” he said regarding ADT’s decision. “It’s very hard on a family."

Absher tells his story in a new video produced by the IBEW Media Department. He and his coworkers are calling on the company to let them get back to work and continue providing service to their customers while contract negotiations continue.

The lockout came after Florida-based ADT refused to budge from its final offer, which would slash employees’ wages by up to 30 percent. The company has brought in outside contractors to do the work of the locked-out employees.

“They don’t want to pay us a fair wage,” ADT technician Brooks Tolar said in the video. “They want to work you till you drop – no family values whatsoever.”

The IBEW represents about 1,000 ADT employees at nearly 30 sites nationwide.

“These workers have made it clear they want to keep providing service while bargaining goes on,” said IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill. “This lockout undermines workplace relations, undermines service and undermines the community. Management needs to end its obstructionist behavior and come back to the table.”

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