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AT&T cutting more than 85 O.C. jobs

November 4th, 2009, 11:40 am · 34 Comments · posted by Mary Ann Milbourn

(Updated with comments from Kenny Williams, president of CWA Local 9510.)

AT&T will cut 85 jobs in Orange by Dec. 2, according to a notice filed with the state, and also will eliminate an undisclosed number of jobs in Anaheim, a company official confirmed today.

att-sign-blog-sizeThe Orange jobs are in AT&T's customer information services operation.  The cuts were included in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with the state, which is required whenever an employer lays off 50 or more people in California.

Word was that 500 other workers would be laid off in Anaheim, but Marty Richter, an AT&T spokesman, said that number "is very inaccurate."  He declined to give the actual number, saying the company doesn't release those details. He also would not disclose when the layoffs would take place.

The jobs affected are in the company's wireline (land line) business, which has been declining.

"We're consistently working to match our workforce to our customer load and the needs of the business.  Parts of our business are growing -- such as wireless, broadband and video -- and part of our business are declining -- most notably, wireline," said Richter. "In those parts of the business that are growing we are adding jobs; at the same time, we are shedding some jobs in the parts of our business that are declining."

He said the layoffs were part of an effort to consolidate centers.

Kenny Williams, president Communications Workers of America 9510 in Orange, said there have been no layoffs among the people he represents yet.  The company, however, has offered voluntary early retirements and buyouts to workers who want to take them.

The union is concerned that if enough workers don't leave voluntarily, that the company will declare a surplus which could lead to layoffs. He said 200 to 300 customer service reps potentially are affected.

"The company has made no bones about it that they want to consolidate call centers outside the state," Williams said. "We are going to fight that with everything we have."

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 34 Comments

  • DwainG says:
    November 4, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    Hello, Can anybody hear me????

  • Anaheim AT&T Employee says:
    November 4, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Yes, just in my Anaheim office its over 275 reps being laid off as of Nov 25 (Happy Holidays from AT&T). And YES there consolidating offices, to a whole nother STATE, Florida, Texas, Alabama. I cant believe after all the years we have put in with the company that this is how we are treated.

  • Obozo_The_Prez says:
    November 4, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    This is what happens when a company provides a crappy product and poor customer service.

    Bye bye AT&T you won't be missed

  • KAREN B says:
    November 4, 2009 at 2:30 pm

    as an affected employee there are 480 people in Anaheim and Tustin that have been told our jobs are leaving California. The company says it is too hard to employ in this state but not to sell their products and services.

    • rolling forward says:
      November 4, 2009 at 2:52 pm

      Texas, according to CEOs surveyed by Chief Executive magazine, is the most business-friendly state in the nation. In comparison, California is the worst. Unless of course, you’re in technology and/or looking to raise venture capital — when it comes to those two categories, the Golden State tops the charts. But in terms of “cost of business” and “business friendliness,” the magazine ranks it No. 48

  • Elijah says:
    November 4, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    Yes , I am hearing you right now? But what the hell do you said?

  • Conor Oberst says:
    November 4, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    I'm an AT&T employee and want to clarify why people are being laid off on the wireline side. Wireline revenues are only decreasing in the market on the consumer side due to wireless replacement. Wireline business revenues are decreasing at AT&T because of poor customer service, bad management decisions and out of date processes that drive customers away. Other Wireline carriers such as Time Warner are eating our lunch because they are customer focused. Our competitors are not seeing Wireline revenue declines. Unfortunately our management has a chronic addiction to layoffs and restructuring and we will continue to shrink as a company unless we have a change in management.

    • Techie714 says:
      November 4, 2009 at 3:56 pm

      Just wondering if your embarrassed saying to friends & family you work for AT&T? By far the WORST customer service AND anti-consumer of all the telcos.

      • Conor Oberst says:
        November 5, 2009 at 10:20 am

        Techie,

        I'm sad to say that I am embarrassed these days to admit that I work for AT&T. When meeting new people I try to avoid answering the question at all costs because ultimately I get the nightmare stories about how bad our service is. Prior to the merger with AT&T this was not the case as SBC was a much better run company even though we were certainly not perfect.

        What you need to understand is that most of the people I have worked with at this company are highly skilled, customer focused people who want to do the right thing. However, I can't say the same for the leadership especially post merger. SBC bought AT&T but for some reason they put the legacy AT&T leadership in charge in most key positions. These are people that led the company into financial ruin prior to merger and SBC had to rescue them. They have now taken the rest of us down the same path.

        I would recommend not judging any of these people on the basis of where they work. Most of the people that have survived all of these layoffs could likely work circles around you in a normal working environment. They are faced with barriers and challenges on a day to day basis that would likely make you lose it.

  • kofee73 says:
    November 4, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    We have POOR customer service now, just imagine what it will be post the job cuts.

  • ocobserver says:
    November 4, 2009 at 3:22 pm

    Oh, no problem. There is a new Taco Bell being built down the road with Obama's stimulus funds. They will be hiring soon. Those fired ATT employees should make prime job candidates. They would make great drive-through clerks with those ATT headsets they wear!

    • Susie says:
      November 4, 2009 at 3:41 pm

      Sorry to hear about your failure to get that job as a Walmart Greeter, OCObserver. Better luck next time. Remember, you have to work at your diction and stop spending so much time in the bathroom!

  • bpsqwerty says:
    November 4, 2009 at 3:35 pm

    can't say I'm upset. when I lived in Orange and my DSL speed suddenly dropped by half with no changes on my end, and even though I was receiving very close to the "rated" speed all before that, they said they'd send a repair guy out and checked at their office as well and decided they couldn't do anything to fix it. as a network system analyst I knew nothing was wrong on my end, but basically they didn't know how to find the problem, so my only choice was to deal with it, downgrade to their cheaper plan which was rated at the speed I was receiving, or drop them completely. I chose #2, but better know I made a note of the issue for the future.

    when I moved to a new address I kept AT&T and kept having intermittent speed problems. eventually I got it resolved, but took quite a bit of time and finally got them to give me a credit for my troubles. they also ratejack you after your "guaranteed" DSL rate period ends, well at least this was the practice in the past but don't know if it was still going on. also at that address, our only choice was to go with AT&T Home Entertainment which is a subsidiary (separate company) and the worst provider I've ever had to deal with in my life. the tv went out constantly with no help from them, and almost impossible to even get someone on the phone. had to get a dish and leave them behind. eventually they came around and wanted to sell us U-Verse instead of the old AT&T Home Entertainment. said thanks but no thanks...

    • shygyrl77 says:
      November 4, 2009 at 4:59 pm

      if you we're silly enough to keep your services with AT&T that is your issue, apparently you are smart if you are blaming the employees for your issues and not the company, if i had the problems you had i'd be with TIME WARNER NOW!!!! SILLY PERSON!

  • theCanimalsHusband says:
    November 4, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    What is important here is that Union Bosses and AT&T Executives are given large bonuses.

    • Marie says:
      November 19, 2009 at 4:45 pm

      I don't know what Union Bosses you are talking about--Communications Workers of America officers & Members don't receive ANY bonuses!

  • Katie Holchek says:
    November 4, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    at&t plans to have all non field related employees out of Orange County (and most of California) by 2011. Employees who will remain in the state will include field technicians and engineers along with technicians who maintain transmission and switching systems. Management will be radically downsized to align with the reduced staff.

    • bpsqwerty says:
      November 4, 2009 at 3:55 pm

      sounds about right. would you want to employ anyone in California? I sure wouldn't

    • Susie says:
      November 4, 2009 at 3:56 pm

      That's good news. If anything, what AT&T needs is to clean their management staff down to a skeleton crew. There are few things in this world quite as incompetent than AT&T or GM management and executives. Sad Sad Sad.....

  • anaheim att employee says:
    November 4, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    isnt it funny how marty richter an att spokesperson is a non-employee,.. the truth is 482 people in anaheim not including la and alhambra which also were affected,where the work is being moved out of state. we are forced to make a life everchanging decision and unfortunately our union was no where to be found to fight the fight which in the past can make all the difference.... thanks att your delivered isnt in california.

  • sassy says:
    November 4, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    as a long time at&t employee i would first like to say that it is unfortunate that at&t and many other companies are moving jobs from california to other states. these jobs are not being deleted, they are moving! these jobs are all related to business service, not residential. and for ocobserver, if you were fortunate enough to personally know any at&t employees, you would know that these jobs are highly skilled, complex and require multitasking. they are also wonderful people who have very generously donated money to many important causes and organizations such as the Katrina disaster and the various United Way campaigns. too bad you have not been fortunate enough to know us. i pity you and your rudeness

  • shygyrl77 says:
    November 4, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    To all those that have smart comments, esp the one about taco bell, never will i work at any fast food establishment! i am a skilled worker and i will find the next great job as I found this one!!!! AT&T did not knock on my door and give me this job, I came and got it and will get the next one, I am exicted about my new chapter in life, I WILL BE compensated for my 9 years of service with Pacific Bell, SBC & AT&T, everyone should be careful of the heartless comments they are making because Karma is so strong and you could be next! This is one of the last good jobs left, we will all be working for slave wages soon if we dont stand up for ourselves, no one is safe! Time to stand up to corporate America people!!!

    • Davis says:
      November 4, 2009 at 8:49 pm

      Stand up to who, the corporate machine ? The only way to "stand up" would be to start your own business of some kind, and then work like a dog to make it survive. The big corporations have Washington in their back pockets, they literally own the Republicans and Democrats, it is just one big puppet show with a big drama scene every four years. The American middle class is divided, distracted, and disorganized, and is powerless against the Fortune 500. The only way out of corporate America is through starting your own business, pretty simple concept.

  • anaheim employee says:
    November 4, 2009 at 9:02 pm

    You know , believe it or not, most of us take our job seriously, no matter what we deal with, we do our work heartily unto the Lord and not unto man, it is sad to to note the comments about poor customer service, but we've known for a while that a lot of our inbound calls are being re-routed to sub-contractors that use the AT&T name. They get paid on commission and often sell products that are not appropriate or worse not available.. and when it comes to dealing with the complaint , they dump it on the real AT&T employee who is then faced with trying to right a wrong that should not have been made....but we are all one company.
    And it is ironic that our AT&T spokesman is not an AT&T employee but a contract employee? Next time you call ask for their UUID? A real employee will be ok with it.

  • frustrated att says:
    November 5, 2009 at 8:31 am

    1. Over 40% of AT&Ts ENTIRE profit comes from Calif. revenue. And yet, because of some higher taxes and worker's comp the company can't keep a strong force of employees in the state that garners them the most earnings? Corporate greed at it's finest!
    2. To the naysayers posting here: we understand the customer service issues and promise you it is sub-contractors slamming & cramming and wreaking havoc... leaving the real employee to clean up the mess and set things right for the customer. No one should be pleased about any jobs leaving CA.... all of us are affected by this.
    3. As has been stated before, this "spokesperson", Marty Richter, is not an actual employee... and furthermore he's based out of St. Louis, MO!!!
    4. AT&T employees have donated so much of their time and money to causes locally and globally from United Way to AIDS Walk to Katrina... any ongoing cause out there, you can be sure our people are involved. Just an example: when the grocery workers went on strike some years back, I remember crews of AT&T reps taking food & water to the picketers to aid in their cause. A little support from the public is all we ask in return.
    **Once AT&T pulls up stakes in CA for good, that's the end of an era.
    Good luck everyone.

  • concerned about california says:
    November 5, 2009 at 9:34 am

    as an at&t employee, making a good wage and able to support my family... the hardest part about our work being shipped to another state, is that ... that job, the wage, security, and health insurance will not transfer to another person, in need of these things... it will be taken from me, and never seen again. The company uses contract employees that are given small wages w/no benefits... they are not helping anyone's life situation... they are not helping anyone but themselves. The company contracts work out to call centers all over the world... sure they say their name is bob or sally sue... but we all know better!!! what ever happened to "made in america"??? where is the home grown pride? It is just too much. Many people are effected by the decision to leave California, and i am afraid, it is just the beginning.

    • frustrated att says:
      November 5, 2009 at 11:52 am

      you make a great point! our jobs are being shipped out to florida, texas, arkansas (and who knows where else) so those employees can do the same job as us for nearly half the wage and little to no insurance, and no union protection.
      sure, the company saves a few bucks.... but the customer suffers.

  • cynthia says:
    November 6, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    Well, probably a lot of those jobs will go to Arizona not Texas since both the Phoenix area and the Tucson area have outsource call cente companies.

  • old pacific bell employee says:
    November 8, 2009 at 9:14 am

    The truth of the matter is "This Beast" is driving the jobs out of Calif. and CWA is doing not a thing. The customer service stinks and not many folks care. It will never be the same, this is a whole different enviroment with a whole different generation. Our sad unemployment numbers are contributed to by "The Beast" (AT&T}. They dont care, they pay too much in sick time to their folks that abuse the system. In many cases our calls go to some international points where the language barrier is such a bear the customers never get help.. Who cares , the old folks ....We will leave a bit sad but always reflect on how we grew up in this company "Pacific Bell".

  • Goerge wit Bush says:
    November 9, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    People,
    Everybody is reading these stories and the few idiots who are stupid to say stupid things are giving those good employees a real bad look to the public and consumers as myself.

    I reccommend you all stick together and set a few dates where you start a picket out by major cross streets and doing it in a peaceful manner so we can be disgusted with the management and NOT the workers.

    Your in the same shoes as many school employees at Anaheim Union, the Administrators are aweful and need to be held accountable for their frauds.

  • Goerge wit Bush says:
    November 9, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    Remember the Bush Presidential terms that brought us to this point in economics, NOT the OBAMA...

  • Phil says:
    December 16, 2009 at 7:03 pm

    Well, my wife works for At&t and they received a email from AT&T corparate giving them a buy out or be laid off. Looks like they are leaving California. Bye At&t hello Comcast.