Verizon Will Close NYC-Area Call Center, Leave 250 Workers Out to Dry

ORANGEBURG, NY — The mood among members of Verizon's worker-bee family in New York — looking up just a few months ago, after a historic nationwide strike, when the company agreed to add hundreds of East Coast call-center jobs, gradually raise wages and allow Brooklyn retail staffers to unionize — is all doom and gloom again this week. Verizon just announced it'll be closing down two call centers in New York State — in Henrietta, upstate, and Orangeburg, just north of NYC, come January and May 2017, respectively — along with three more across the country.

That'll mean 850 call-center workers out of jobs in New York state alone, and 250 in Orangeburg near NYC — on top of the one retail worker PER STORE, all across America, who was told last week that his or her position was being "consolidated." ("Experience specialists," who greeted customers and took down their names, and "operations specialists," who handled inventory in the back of the store, will now be replaced by one "retail support specialist," a Verizon spokeswoman explained to Patch.) In Brooklyn's six Verizon stores, nine of 55 employees have reportedly been cut during the sweeping consolidation.

"They've been asked to apply for other positions within the company," the Verizon spokeswoman said of the cut retail workers. "They have a month or so to do that."

Verizon management said in a statement: "This was a very difficult but necessary business decision. We value our Customer Service employees. They are highly trained, skilled and experienced and they will be encouraged to stay with the company."

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo wasn't buying any of it. He slammed Verizon for its cost-cutting plan Thursday in a statement that scorched the inboxes of journalists across the state.

"Today, with 20 minutes notice on one of the highest holy days for those of the Jewish faith, Verizon Wireless notified the Governor’s office that it would be closing two call centers in New York as part of a nationwide consolidation plan," Cuomo said. "This is an egregious example of corporate abuse — among the worst we have witnessed during the six years of this administration. Verizon’s negligence is astounding and as a result, hard-working New Yorkers will lose their jobs."

Cuomo said he's "directed the New York State Department of Labor to dispatch its Rapid Response team to assist employees during their time of transition, and we will work to reverse the impact of Verizon’s reckless decision."

"In this state," he said, "we will continue to stand up to those who put profit ahead of people.”

Verizon has offered to relocate affected employees to stores and call centers still open in other towns, and to cover their travel expenses while they check out the areas they'd be moving to — "so they have a sense of what the community is like," a Verizon spokeswoman said. Their relocation packages would start around $10,000.

According to Verizon: "Eligible employees unable to relocate or who do not secure other assignments with the company will be offered individualized separation packages and outplacement help."

But Candice Johnson, media director for the massive Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, was skeptical of these concessions.

"It's all pretty vague," she said. "Many of the call-center workers in Orangeburg have been told they can transfer to [similar telesales centers in] South Carolina, Texas or Tampa, Florida. So that's not much of a job offer, is it?"

And although Verizon has assured its customer base that none of these cuts will affect service, Johnson said she does "think they will be noticeable" in the coming months, especially for holiday season.

"It's a bad management plan, in terms of customer service and in terms of communities," she said.

Verizon has blamed its cuts on a stagnating wireless industry. In the first half of 2016, Verizon's wireless revenue fell nearly 3 percent — but it was still at $44 billion. The company's stock, meanwhile, has been performing super well this year. Verizon bought Yahoo earlier this year for around $5 billion.

Photo via Stand Up to Verizon/Facebook