Verizon is reportedly set to eliminate jobs at call centers across five states as part of broader streamlining of workforce
Verizon Communications is reportedly set to close a handful of call centers across five states in a move expected to eliminate around 3,200 jobs.
The move, which the carrier told the Chicago Tribune is part of a call center consolidation plan, is set to hit locations in Rochester and New York City, New York; Bangor, Maine; Lincoln, Nebraska; Wallingford and Meriden, Connecticut; and Rancho Cordorva, California.
Jobs impacted include 850 positions in New York; 1,000 positions in California; 320 jobs in Nebraska; 200 positions in Maine; and 550 jobs in Connecticut. A further 175 positions at a call center in Huntsville, Alabama, are also being relocated to Hanover, Maryland.
Verizon noted in the report that it informed the employees of the moves this week, with those workers being offered positions at other company sites or a severance package.
Call center positions have been under fire in recent years across the telecom space as operators increasingly rely on alternative interaction models with consumers, including online, social media and smartphone applications.
Verizon Communications earlier this week confirmed to ABC News plans to cut positions at retail locations as it looks to consolidate duties of employees. Jobs were said to be impacted by the combining of previously separate jobs of inventory stockers and customer service representatives.
An organizing coordinator for the Communications Workers of America said the cuts could be in the thousands, though a Verizon Communications representative said that was an “exaggeration.”
Verizon earlier this year came to a new four-year agreement with the CWA and fellow labor union the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers following a tense month-and-a half standoff. The agreement also included a first contract for wireless retail store workers.
The agreement, covering approximately 40,000 employees, called for workers to receive a 10.5% wage increase over the four-year term of the deal, with the company committed to hiring approximately 1,300 new workers. Verizon Communications, for its part, said it gained the ability to offer special buyout incentives to employees and health care cost savings for current and retired workers under its pension plan.
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