WHY OCCUPY AT&T? Jobs, Outsourcing, and Customer Service

It’s often a question as to why companies outsource jobs, or layoff living-wage workers only to rehire them to the same positions for minimum wage. It’s been argued that it’s done because the companies simply are not profitable and competitive. Yet just this past quarter AT&T made record profits and sent out emails praising their employees for their assistance in raking in this cash. As a slap in the face, within a few days of receiving thanks, 740 of those workers received notice they would be losing their decent wage jobs, most likely only to be replaced with minimum wage counterparts.

These are old tactics for AT&T: outsource and pay lower wages, supposedly to remain competitive. AT&T refuses to give accurate numbers of how many American jobs they have outsourced. Not surprisingly, this is being done at a time while they are lobbying for a Tax Holiday supposedly to allow for job creation in the U.S. [1]

AT&T has been clandestinely outsourcing jobs for years, fearing public outrage. When confronted with the fact, spokepeople for the corporation have either hung up or offered no comment to inquirers, and referred them to other departments. [2]

AT&T and IBM, both Fortune 500 companies, work together on several business ventures, with IBM being one of the largest job outsourcers of which the public is aware.
[3] Other business partners, like Hewlett-Packard, are partners in the omerta about their outsourcing. [1],[2] Despite this, there’s plenty of evidence about how much AT&T invests overseas instead of our communities at home. AT&T named one Indian IT and outsourcing corporation they work with, Tech Mahindra, as one of the best companies that supply them — one out of nearly 5,000, consistenly for the past several years. [4],[5]

Even though it pledged in 2006 to stop outsourcing jobs, AT&T was still sending many more jobs overseas than it ever planned to bring back. [6]

And since 2006, it’s been business as usual for AT&T. Act as if you’re invested in the community, keep shut about what you’re really doing, and pay off those who can help you keep doing the same.

As a corporation that has consistently ranked worst in customer service across the board from value to voice quality, and the same reports coming in from multiple independent testing groups, you’d think they’d change their tactics, perhaps even to service their customers instead of their own business interests? [7],[8],[9],[10]

With such low rankings, perhaps AT&T shouldn’t be concerned with cutting more jobs after making record profits, but instead adding jobs to service people better? To get customers service faster, attend to and complete repairs more efficiently, and answer our calls more quickly?

Or maybe it’s just about making a buck?

Perhaps it’s time for AT&T to rethink if its possible to keep hurting their employees and customers just to put a few pennies in their pockets? Or maybe they should turn it around and put jobs and community first?

JOIN US FEBRUARY 14TH TO SAVE JOBS AND SHOW AT&T WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY PUT FIRST!