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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Don't Be Like GM

How can AT&T be expected to keep on workers for its business units that are generating less and less revenue? Fewer landlines means fewer people are needed to maintain them.

Do we really want to see AT&T follow GM's example and create a "jobs bank?"

jtackett
join:2000-11-02
Atlanta, GA

jtackett

Member

Job banks already exist within AT&T..

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

said by jtackett:

Job banks already exist within AT&T..
Ugh. What level of idiocy exists in management to agree to such a thing?

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

The level that has to deal with the unions.
ElJay
join:2004-03-17
Portland, ME
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite
Ubiquiti Unifi UAP-AC-LITE

1 edit

1 recommendation

ElJay to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
The problem seems to be a focus on the short term instead of mid/long term. If I made every decision in my life based on the next quarter or year, my own personal outlook would be in quite lousy shape as well. GM did exactly this by failing to realize that big big big big vehicles and offering the same car with three or four different name tags may not be the diverse product line they think it is. GM thought they could tell people what they wanted to buy, when the people just decided to shop elsewhere instead. They seem to be catering to the specialty groups (i.e. Hummer, Cadillac) while their core product line generally goes to shit.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102 to jester121

Premium Member

to jester121
said by jester121:

The level that has to deal with the unions.
You can have reasonable dealings with unions. However, a jobs bank and a lack of job flexibility will ultimately kill both the company and the union.

I still don't see these layoffs as being completely related to the economy. Landlines are simply going the way of the telegraph.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

said by pnh102:

I still don't see these layoffs as being completely related to the economy. Landlines are simply going the way of the telegraph.
I don't disagree; it's common for companies to use a sluggish economy as a time to restructure operations and realign staff.

The psychological effect on the market is predictable, but it's probably best to get it out of the way and be done with it.

chillax
@bellsouth.com

chillax to pnh102

Anon

to pnh102
There isn't necessarily anything wrong with job banks. Corporations as large as AT&T with hordes of non-management union workers need a mechanism to move people from non-performing and/or redundant operations into those that are either still growing or short on staff. The job banks, or job "pools" as they are called at AT&T are how this flexibility is managed. If a nation-wide surplus is announced across multiple departments, those affected can elect to take a severance or enter the pool. Once the pool has been "filled", the process to move folks out of it can begin. Yes, there are no guarantees for them and you can only stay in the pool for so long before having to go without a severance offer but all that is negotiated with the union.

What the general public hates to hear regarding job banks is when people get full pay while in them even though they aren't doing anything. That's what I've read about them in General Motor's case but I don't know if that is truely accurate. In telecom, and I could be wrong about this, those in a job bank/pool only get a fraction of their regular pay. I assume all that is determined on previous wage scale levels and seniority etc.

I don't see what the big stink is, at least it provides a mechanism of hope for those seeking to stay employed with their current employer and some time to apply for other jobs without having to waste time learning the ropes of the US unemployment system and getting COBRA at the same time.

Many union and management folks that don't take a severance if one is offered will probably be given some time to apply for jobs in growing areas such as U-Verse & Wireless.

Chillax already