Union Disses AT&T Layoffs

WASHINGTON -- Following is a statement by CWA Vice President Ralph Maly on AT&T's announcement that it will eliminate the jobs of another 1,700 workers:

   AT&T's latest announcement that it is cutting another 1,700 jobs and closing four customer service centers is a very clear signal that AT&T does not care about its customers.

   This layoff will eliminate the jobs of more than 200 technicians and 1,500 customer service representatives, workers who are the first line of contact for customers who want and deserve quality service.

   AT&T will shut call centers in Mesa, Arizona; Syracuse, N.Y.; Marietta, Ga., and Town and Country, Mo., just outside St. Louis, while AT&T continues to send more jobs overseas to the Philippines, India and other offshore locations, and contracts out work, instead of remaining in the hands of the skilled workers who bring real value to AT&T.

   This downsizing is another in a series of bad business decisions that will affect the operation and reliability of AT&T's network, will force customers to make endless calls to have their problems resolved, and will do nothing to restore the profitability and integrity of a once great company.

   Over the past several years, AT&T's bad business decisions have cost employees and shareholders dearly. It's clear to us that AT&T now is accelerating its plan to drop consumer services, just as it's accelerating its outsourcing of tech jobs.

   In order for AT&T to provide and maintain state-of-the-art telecommunications it must depart from the layoffs, outsourcing and disregard for customers that have been the hallmark of AT&T's current business strategy.

Communications Workers of America (CWA)