Local AT&T workers have joined fellow union members on strike as contract negotiations between Communications Workers of America and AT&T have failed.

Robert Lee, secretary and treasurer of the local CWA chapter 3514, said efforts to negotiate a contract have been ongoing for some time and reached a point where workers had to take a stand.

“It’s an unfair labor practice strike. We’ve had issues that we’re trying to work with the company on, and they’re not dealing with us in good faith,” he said. “I mean, we’ve been going back and forth, back and forth, and we’re finally at the time where we had to do something to get them to come to us in good faith on these issues.”

Lee said the strike, which began Aug. 16, encompasses a nine-state area known as District 3, which is the region formerly under the name BellSouth. According to AT&T, 15,000 employees are participating in the strike.

Employees’ demands are not unreasonable, Lee said, and those on strike are simply asking to be treated fairly.

“We all want to go back to work,” he said. “We hate it for the customer. It puts them in a bad spot too.”

CWA and AT&T negotiators met with a federal mediator Thursday who has stepped in to help the two parties reach an acceptable compromise. In an update posted to its website, CWA District 3 said negotiators spent the day bringing the mediator up to speed on the issues between the two parties so work reaching a contract could begin.

“All day was spent allowing the mediator to meet both teams, get acquainted with the last two months’ worth of progress, the issues that have put us in the position that we are currently in, going over the key items that we have at the table and getting educated on the proposals and their importance,” the union said. “We remain optimistic that the mediator will help us gain ground on securing a contract that is acceptable to our members.”

In a statement Thursday, AT&T refuted the claims of unfair labor practices and said the company is working to negotiate a fair contract.

“We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement with CWA District 3, and we suggested the use of a federal mediator to ensure there is no question about either side’s commitment to this process,” the company said. “Until a deal is reached, we have business continuity measures in place so that we can continue to provide our customers with the great service they deserve.”