AT&T and Union Leaders Spar Over Job Cuts, Offshoring ; 7,400 Workers Face

[UpInArms]

AT&T and Union Leaders Spar Over Job Cuts, Offshoring ; 7,400 Workers Face Pink Slips in '04

http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=95767

Union leaders and AT&T exchanged sharp jabs Tuesday over job cuts at the Bedminster-based telecommunications company.

<snip>

The sparring comes less than two weeks after Ma Bell said it would lay off 7,400 - including 1,500 union workers - this year. The company blamed the cutbacks in part on a change in federal rules that forced it to stop expanding in the consumer phone market.

"This once proud company employed 300,000 workers just 10 years ago. Now, AT&T is rapidly getting rid of workers and managers, outsourcing those jobs and sending more work overseas to India, Mexico and other low-wage countries," said Ralph Maly, CWA vice president for communications and technologies.

<snip>

"The workforce reductions that are occurring in 2004 are not being outsourced and they are not going offshore," he said.

Asked if AT&T outsourced or sent work offshore prior to the recent layoffs, Backover said, "I'm not going to discuss what kind of strategy the company has to distribute work or how work gets done." Backover also declined to respond to the union's concerns about network security except to say, "Security is one of our top concerns."

...more...

[mhr]

1. Furious George Say "F*** The Workers"

eom

[daa]

2. Liars

In 1999 AT&T outsourced our jobs to IBM and 2 years ago IBM sent our jobs to India. They won't tell their strategy but I will. They are liars and sent thousands of jobs to India.