Unionized employees of AT&T were sent home across California and Nevada earlier this week when they turned up for work wearing stickers with the letters “WTF,” as part of an ongoing protest against AT&T’s unwillingness to renew their contract without reducing workers’ benefits.

The stickers, which stand for “Where’s the Fairness” are causing consternation for AT&T, which believes the message may offend customers.

U-verse technicians in San Jose were the first to wear the stickers late last week, which some might interpret more colorfully as, “What the (explicative).”  AT&T sent those workers home and now other unionized employees across the region have started wearing the stickers in solidarity.

The union says the company’s response to the stickers is creating chaos for AT&T management, who are scrambling to replace the workers unavailable to respond to scheduled service calls and handle other technical tasks.

AT&T says otherwise.  Spokesman John Britton says the company was prepared in advance for any labor issues and says the majority of service calls were performed without interruption or delay.

“While we respect our employees’ right to express their opinions, it is our policy to require appropriate dress for our employees in customer-facing positions,” AT&T said in a written statement. “We sent some employees home after they refused to remove ‘WTF’ stickers, or buttons, from their clothing before leaving the office to work in and around customer homes and businesses.”

The Communications Workers of America represents about 18,000 AT&T technicians and call-center employees in California and Nevada.  The union says locking out employees wearing the stickers is a violation of federal law, which protects “concerted labor-related activities” including wearing t-shirts, buttons, or stickers as part of the union’s protest.

CWA District 9 has filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge against AT&T for the employee lockout, and the company has since reportedly indicated it will take no action against union members who wore the “WTF” stickers before or in the future.