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CenturyLink takes axe to Embarq employees
Not that it should be completely surprising, but CenturyLink, the new telephone operator created out of the merger of CenturyTel and Embarq, announced late last week it cut 55 Kansas City area workers in July. According to company spokeswoman Debra Peterson, these employees were provided with not only severance packages, but employment assistance from Right Management and Lee Hecht Harrison.
However, it appears that the July layoffs are just the tip of other organizational changes yet to come at the Tier 2 telco, although CenturyLink could not specify the number of Kansas City workers who would be either let go or relocated.
"We're not through our staffing decisions," Peterson said in a statement. "The selection process is not yet complete."
For more:
- The Kansas City Star's Sprint Connection blog had this article
Related articles
CenturyLink claims savings, but losses continue
CenturyTel-Embarq deal breeds CenturyLink
Comments
Posted by Anonymous | January 21, 2010 - 12:49pm
Didn't anyone get the message that the financially responsible and sound CenturyTel AQUIRED/PURCHASED Embarq who was not. I'm sorry if EQ leadership didn't explain clearly this wasn't a merger..it was an acquisition!
Posted by Anonymous | December 9, 2009 - 9:50pm
corporate greed,it's happening all over U.S. mabey one day we will all wake up
Posted by Anonymous | November 25, 2009 - 4:25pm
Sounds like you're one of the ones that got canned. Good riddens.
Posted by Anonymous | November 7, 2009 - 12:18pm
CenturyTel HA!! What a joke! It was 3 steps back for Embarq employees. They had a few bucks and the Embarq executive management sold out, which is what Sprint was all about. Just a carry over. These executives care nothing about their employees. Only fattening their wallets. Talk about greed, these guys are the definition. Hesse, Forshee and their pathetic lot were no better. Welcome to America, the land of greed and stepping on employees. When the market comes back, there will be a mass exodus of employees and it will serve Centurylink right! Sprint is already going down for the third time!!!
Posted by Anonymous | October 17, 2009 - 8:09pm
I was told when I was laid off that "CenturyLink" had more than 1500 "separation" packages to get through, and that's just now. I can do the math. Embarq had roughly 20,000 employees when it spun off from Sprint. It had around 14,000 by the time CenturyLink bought them. Let's see. That's already 6,000 people down. Now CenturyLink is trimming itself down to around 18,000 total. I'd say that's at least 8,500 people who have lost or are about to lose their jobs because of Embarq's shenanigans since 2006, and most of them in the past year. 55 people? Right! They naturally don't want the real numbers to get out.
Posted by Anonymous | September 25, 2009 - 7:03pm
The layoffs continue. Myself and an "undisclosed" number of folks were laid off this week, last day Sept. 30. It was totally expected, so I was not surprised.
What I am surprised about, is there really isn't a bunch of news about this, anywhere. Embarq/CenturyTel, now CenturyLink is hosting weekly HR meetings for the newly laid off, which tells us that this is just the beginning.
I, myself, was just in a meeting this morning and heard folks both long and shorter tenure, asking questions. I don't know how many folks were on this particular call, but it is interesting how diverse the group is and how many of them that spoke up are from Kansas City. It's CenturyTel who bought Embarq, making the decisions. I can see that much.
I know, in my building alone, over 60 folks were let go. And there aren't many of us left on the Sprint Campus.
Wish me luck! My husband was laid off a few months ago, so we're going to have to be very creative financially!
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