they just hit us with a layoff announcement this week, no official word on the numbers yet but it's looking like ~10% staff cut at each exchange
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In house may be ok in your area. In ours its a joke. And that 35 an hr may be their salary but the loaded rate is going to be closer to 130-150 hr for each of them. Ive seen it take a week for nine guys two minis and two splicers to overlash 1500’. Street side. Drive off. I dont even know what they were doing with the minis. Could definitely tighten up inspection on contractors no argument there but it is easier to hold them accountable. Whether or not anyone does it thats another story.
They are bleeding money left and right with the contractors. We have jobs that we have paid over a million dollars to contractors, only to have to send our in-house splicers out to "fix" everything before tech can even start connecting customers. And the company's response is the same every time.... "we already paid them, so we need you to go out and figure what they messed up".
Most jobs in house is doing are all government paid for... RDOF, SEFH, etc.... BAU work and PPP work is going to contractors, but ultimately, in-house spli ers have to "fix" 90% of their work before it will work. The cost is unreal... 380 dollars in labor, just for them to mount a FDP at a cust location. I just "fixed" one today that they spliced to the field side of the cable, and never tested to the CO. We paid them over 13K to plow in 1500 feet of fiber and install one fdp. That would've taken in-house less than a day to do, and with 3 man crew and 1 splicer, we are talking about no more than 8hs of 4 people at 34-35 dollars an hour, less than a dollar a foot for the fiber. The math isn't that hard to do.
In our state, they are saying almost double digit cut to CST/FST positions. But don't worry, they already took most of their work and have been making the NT's do it. CST/FST is R1 service oy now. NT is now all CO, all special services, all businesses regardless of size or location (b1 in a residence and R1s in a business, don't matter). Why keep so many CST/FST's when the NT's are doing most of the work now
Is the voluntary buyout the same $ amount as a severance?
Yeah that’s really smart. Lose even more customers and more techs get laid off.
It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off.
Time to slow down and give them 1 job a day boyz
Who's got the latest details on this round of layoffs?
So we had contractors for construction then spent a ton of money to have our own construction group operations managers went over to construction but didn't pan out. IT help desk went overseas for a bit to contractors, that also did not pan out. Moved NOCs over to contract, that's not working out either. Why do they this this is going to work?
I figured some bean counter at Corp figured it was cheaper using contractors based on salary and related expenses. I bet they gotta be sweating because time has to be running out for them. Can't fire everyone because then they'd run out of people to point the finger at as the problem.
Curious is the use of contractors is expanding and also if the contractors are using ex Windstream folks. If so they need to follow the money under the table if possible. I have known many managers and above taking pay under the table from vendors using quid pro quo deals
They don’t really pay those temp construction workers very well. I think they also tell them up fryhat the posts temporary. Even if they don’t, you’d have to be an id--t to believe WS has a permanent, full time, construction job for you. They’re after the techs who make 6 figures and have 8 weeks vacation every year…
Why do we still have so many construction jobs posted?? If we are cutting the fat start there. They are always too busy to get anything done
typical WS.. an effort to ID the people who want out...for the upcoming RIF...there will be no packages
Pick me pick me
Our area was just offered buyouts. Nothing said about layoffs here in NC. Last year we had a few guys put in for the buyout & they didn’t get accepted. So I’m not sure about layoffs.
The areas I am aware of are ILEC and it was announced by Management to each work group affected. An email was then sent to the techs with all the information.
Interesting, wonder why my area has heard nothing. What area are you in? CLEC or ILEC? Did you receive this by email? I'm just curious since we've received no word of anything. I'm an NT in CLEC territory.
They gave our group an option to elect for the voluntary buyout, if they don’t get “ volunteers “ to leave then a layoff will happen.
No word of anything in the market I'm in (clec). Where are you and who announced this and was it by email or just word from manager? Usually layoffs are announced when they happen. Not that "they will happen".