AT&T is Reportedly About to Have Significant Layoffs

[bluegras]

Today it was reported that AT&T is getting ready to have significant layoffs. We have known for some time now that AT&T was looking for ways to become more profitable now it looks like layoffs will be one part of that strategy.

In a report from Motherboard, it is said that AT&T plans to “geographic rationalization” and remove employment “surplus” that will move some aspects of AT&T operations in 10 major operational hubs in New York, California, Texas, New Jersey, Washington State, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, and Washington, DC. AT&T did confirm to Motherboard that AT&T does plan to make changes to its workforce.

AT&T is Reportedly About to Have Significant Layoffs - Cord Cutters News

 

[Jimbo]

Today it was reported that AT&T is getting ready to have significant layoffs. We have known for some time now that AT&T was looking for ways to become more profitable now it looks like layoffs will be one part of that strategy.

In a report from Motherboard, it is said that AT&T plans to “geographic rationalization” and remove employment “surplus” that will move some aspects of AT&T operations in 10 major operational hubs in New York, California, Texas, New Jersey, Washington State, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, and Washington, DC. AT&T did confirm to Motherboard that AT&T does plan to make changes to its workforce.

AT&T is Reportedly About to Have Significant Layoffs - Cord Cutters News

Nothing new there ... they do that EVERY year.
Did they say what other departments were involved ....

We lost almost 20% last year in the field in my city .... word is they will cut back on management this time around.

 

[whitewolf8214]

They do it every year like they raise prices like everyone else imo

 

[Jimbo]

They do it every year like they raise prices like everyone else imo

Now, lets be reasonable ....
You know that all your services go up in price each year ....
Whens the last time you had a service decrease in price and keep the same or better value from year to year ?

D* has had an increase of a bit every year since I started back in 2004 and prior to that when I had them as well as has the others.

 

[TxDTV]

Well I used to great cs from ATT till they closed there US call centers and outsourced everything, i hate calling anymore


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[raoul5788]

Well I used to great cs from ATT till they closed there US call centers and outsourced everything, i hate calling anymore


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I don't think they closed all of the US centers. Weekends seem to go overseas.

 

[TxDTV]

I don't think they closed all of the US centers. Weekends seem to go overseas.

Dang really, i cant remember the last time i got a US call center, last few times ive called ATT, i get outsourced call centers, with people that act like they dont even know who they are working for, and I’m now more than they do. Whereas used to, in my case anyways, ATT used to have awesome US based CS. Far as DirecTV, I had it years ago, and agin for the past 2 years, and cant ever remember talking to someone from US call center. Maybe 1-2 times, maybe. Just seems i cant get anywhere most of the times, i dont know how many times ive had to call several times about the same thing to finally get something done. My DirecTv contract ends next month, I’ll have to call then, hopefully goes well.


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[primestar31]

I got no sympathy for them. If they are anything like the REST of the scum-sucking big corporations out there, they likely replaced most all their IT and call center guys with really cheap contractors working remotely from India. That's what happened to me and a whole bunch of us from a company we worked for a long time several years ago. They can pay 1/10th the cost of an American wage, and increase their "share holder value".

Of course, they find out quickly that they typically get no comparable quality and a person that has no loyalty, and cares LESS than 1/10th what we cared for our jobs and company, but I guess that doesn't bother them.

I was lead tech in a NOC for the last 8 years of my 28 year career. We even had to train our Indian replacements for the last two months there (we had to agree to that to get separation pay), and we didn't figure out until 3 days before we were all going to be kicked out the door, THAT they were all lying through their teeth, and didn't really learn anything in all that time. They were exceptionally good to fake it all, and from what I heard from contacts in the business, it was horrible for over a year after we were gone. (/bitterness OFF)

 

[Inclined Orbit]

In early December I had a discussion with an ATT manager and he indicated there would be a fairly big layoff company wide in January. He had the huge list of people that had received an email indicating they were on the layoff list and my friend did a bunch of research on the names and although I don't remember all the fine details they all seemed to be older employees and many were very long time employees. ATT has a long history of scraping the barnacles off the ship, even if it includes the only person that knows anything about a specific job. They have lost a lot of brilliant and key people on the DirecTV side doing this.

 

[slice1900]

Most of those geographic locations mentioned in the article aren't Directv related. I'm sure there will be some Directv stuff affected, i.e. they will be able to close the ECUF later this year once all the MPEG2 SD local uplinks it does have been shut down. But a lot of those "major operational hubs" listed don't have anything to do with satellite AFAIK.

When you make two huge acquisitions within the space of a few years, you are going to have a lot of duplication of resources. Plus AT&T has so much debt now after the TW purchase they need cut costs quickly. If interest rates rise too quickly their debt rating could go to 'junk' and they'll be in serious trouble. Buying TW in a bidding war might end up bringing the whole ship down, because of all the debt it added.

 

[Juan]

In early December I had a discussion with an ATT manager and he indicated there would be a fairly big layoff company wide in January. He had the huge list of people that had received an email indicating they were on the layoff list and my friend did a bunch of research on the names and although I don't remember all the fine details they all seemed to be older employees and many were very long time employees. ATT has a long history of scraping the barnacles off the ship, even if it includes the only person that knows anything about a specific job. They have lost a lot of brilliant and key people on the DirecTV side doing this.

They usually offer a generous package with those rifs...fancy word for layoff

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[SamCdbs]

Remember that DirecTV is a, by AT&T standards, fairly small division of AT&T. AT&T is stuck in the POTS business, and a highly unionized work force related there to, and most states' regulators won't let them out of it. This is probably mostly about further letting rural POTS rot further until they can finally get out of that busines..

 

[Juan]

Remember that DirecTV is a, by AT&T standards, fairly small division of AT&T. AT&T is stuck in the POTS business, and a highly unionized work force related there to, and most states' regulators won't let them out of it. This is probably mostly about further letting rural POTS rot further until they can finally get out of that busines..

Its not POTS any more..it voice over ip...they are getting rid of the legacy network and replacing it with a router based network..much cheaper to operate...fixed 5g is the land line soloution for this week

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[SamCdbs]

They are getting rid of the legacy network in urban and suburban places. In rural America they (and Verizon and Frontier and everybody else) are letting it rot. We are not far from having rural people, with no cell or internet service, and no access to POTS.

 

[Jimbo]

In early December I had a discussion with an ATT manager and he indicated there would be a fairly big layoff company wide in January. He had the huge list of people that had received an email indicating they were on the layoff list and my friend did a bunch of research on the names and although I don't remember all the fine details they all seemed to be older employees and many were very long time employees. ATT has a long history of scraping the barnacles off the ship, even if it includes the only person that knows anything about a specific job. They have lost a lot of brilliant and key people on the DirecTV side doing this.

This happened in the late 90's as well ...
Difference being they offered a SIP, it was a very good offer and about 30% of craft left ... suddenly they had very little left that knew everything about the job to do it.

Since then, they never offer much anymore.

 

[Jimbo]

Its not POTS any more..it voice over ip...they are getting rid of the legacy network and replacing it with a router based network..much cheaper to operate...fixed 5g is the land line soloution for this week

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Yup, 90% of my work is IP Internet based now.
I may have 4or 5 pots tickets a month now.

 

[Jimbo]

They usually offer a generous package with those rifs...fancy word for layoff

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MAybe for management, but NOT for craft ...

I hope they do real SOON ...
If they offer a Generous package, I may take it.

 

[Juan]

MAybe for management, but NOT for craft ...

I hope they do real SOON ...
If they offer a Generous package, I may take it.

You guys dont get the pension buyout offers?

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[primestar31]

MAybe for management, but NOT for craft ...

I hope they do real SOON ...
If they offer a Generous package, I may take it.

Jimbo, watch OUT for the big "gotcha" they pull on their buyout offer. It got us BADLY.

They added it on our final paycheck AS IF it was a "bonus". Because of that, it cost each of us 36.9% combined taxes right off the top! That's Federal, State, and both SS taxes. In my case, it took enough out of it, that I could have lived on that tax deduction for 1 year! Also, they refused to put any of it into the 401k or any other tax shelter, because they claimed the Feds wouldn't allow it on a RIF package. When I filed my taxes the following year, because I in effect got double wages in one year, I only got back about 1/4 of the taxes they soaked me for.

Also, in my case I also qualified for full retirement, so I got a better payout IF I went that way, which I did even though I was only 56 at the time (end of Sept 2016 - 3 months short of being 57). I just turned 60 last month. So technically, I got the best combination of retirement AND the one year separation "perks" (full medical/dental, etc) they were offering others.

P.S. IF you are over the age of 55 and specifically lose your job due to a RIF, you can tap your 401k if needed WITHOUT paying the bonus 10% to the Feds. All you pay is the normal 20% off the top. You don't have to wait until age 59.5. In my case, I was able to pay off the house and get debt-free, and not touch the 401k until last year.

 

[Jimbo]

You guys dont get the pension buyout offers?

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They offer about $30,000 ...
Previous friend that Did go, said it came to about $24,000 after taxes.