AT&T to cut even more wireline employees

Ongoing landline losses are forcing AT&T's hand to cut more employees in Connecticut, but the decision isn't sitting well with either local unions or state regulators.

In Connecticut, AT&T will lay off 160 more landline technicians. With this latest round of cuts, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1298 President Bill Henderson said, these new cuts bring the total number of jobs lost to 1,400.

Interestingly, the job cuts come as state regulators are conducting an two-part hearing on AT&T's failure to meet phone service restoration standards for the past eight years. Connecticut regulators mandate that AT&T has to restore phone service within 24 hours, but according to a filing with the state Department of Public Utility Control in New Britain, Connecticut, AT&T has not fulfilled that obligation [1] since 2001.

AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said that any union member affected by the latest cuts will be either offered another position in the company or a severance package under the terms of the union contract.  

Connecticut is not the only state to see job cuts, however. AT&T announced that it will cut 500 technician positions in California by March 31 in response to decline landline revenues. Once again, union officials argue that the ILEC won't be able to respond to landline phone outages.

For more:
- Waterbury Republican-American has this article [2]
- xChange has this article [3]

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