WASHINGTON—Verizon Wireless’s plans to close six of its 18 call centers will eliminate about 3,000
customer-service jobs, the Communications Workers of America said Mar. 13. The company announced last month that it would close its call centers in Huntsville, Ala., Little Rock, Ark., Mankato, Minn., Albuquerque, N.M., Hilliard, Ohio, and North Charleston, S.C., which now have about 6,500 workers, as it switches to having customer-service representatives work at home. That transition “masks the employment loss that will result,” the CWA said. “If this is not a layoff, as Verizon Wireless claims, all workers at the six affected centers should get to keep their jobs,” CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor said. “If workers don’t qualify for home-based positions, Verizon should provide nearby office space and not force workers to relocate hundreds or thousands of miles away from their current jobs.” Working at home, the union added, will also “require workers to be able to work split shifts, weekends, and holidays; have high-speed Internet at home; and an extra room with total quiet—conditions that many working families cannot meet.” Verizon expects to receive $3-4 billion in tax cuts this year, the CWA noted. Read more
