Labor conditions and collective bargaining rights have worsened in the large US wireless carrier industry now that big telecommunications firms are increasingly outsourcing their retail sales and customer service operations from company-owned stores.

The sector, dominated by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, which together reported $337.1bn in revenue in 2022, is now plagued by wage theft, security issues, overworked staff and health and safety problems, according to a new report.

The study, by the Communications Workers of America and National Employment Law Project, found the three largest wireless carriers in the US have increasingly outsourced retail operations to authorized dealers and sellers. That has undermined collective bargaining rights for these workers and resulted in degraded working conditions in comparison with corporate owned and operated retail stores.

Cassandra Lopez Rosario worked at an authorized AT&T dealer in Michigan for a year before she was fired in December 2021 while out sick with Covid-19.

She explained throughout her employment, her store experienced several security problems, including robberies that went unresolved after complaints to district and regional management. She also said her store experienced high turnover and she was often left working the store by herself, meaning she had to skip breaks and find time to eat between customers...

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