AT&T To Cut Another 2,400 Jobs
AT&T Corp. is cutting an additional 2,400 jobs, meaning the telecommunications giant will have cut more than 8,000 jobs, or more than 6 percent of its work force, this year, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The cuts come as other streamlining takes place within the industry. On Monday, SBC Communications Inc. said it will cut "several thousand" jobs. BellSouth Corp. and Sprint Corp. have announced plans to cut 3,000 and 6,000 workers, respectively.
The Journal cited the Communications Workers of America as saying that 2,400 union jobs will be cut, though AT&T would only say that a "small percentage" of jobs are being eliminated through buyouts, layoffs and attrition.
AT&T spokeswoman Eileen Connolly declined Tuesday to comment on the specifics of the newspaper report but said AT&T "has been reducing its employee base mainly through attrition over the past many months."
She said there have been "multiple thousands" of job cuts since the fourth quarter in its cable TV division, AT&T Broadband, but said the number has not been specified.
The Journal said AT&T Broadband, which is currently up for sale, has cut 12,000 positions this year — half through job cuts and half through the sale of cable systems.
Another AT&T spokeswoman Cindy Neal told the Journal that AT&T has cut both management and non-management positions. "It's an ongoing process that's been taking place on and off all year long as we look for all different ways to trim expenses," she told the Journal.
AT&T employed 125,000 people at the beginning of the year.
© MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed