Thread regarding CenturyLink layoffs

This is what you get when you had a culture that encouraged friends and family over skill and qualifications. The union only exacerbates it further.

"After 20 years I was sent through every training that came down the pike. That did not help when layoff's came around it was all about you TOE date. there were senior techs that could do nothing and I mean nothing but they got to keep there jobs."

Sadly this is true, but even with a non Union shop has it's issues blatant favoritism and preference of age, looks, buddy system, etc.

After 20 years I was sent through every training that came down the pike. That did not help when layoff's came around it was all about you TOE date. there were senior techs that could do nothing and I mean nothing but they got to keep there jobs.

Local net tech wasn’t sure who they were, half the techs are loaned out doing locates; just saying.

They send everyine thru poor and ladder training. Not contractors.

Seen a group getting pole training last week, contractors?

Good info, but a bit naive take on the industry. The op acts like 5g is coming next year, next month, heck even next week. Don’t believe it. The copper wire network maybe going away, but it won’t happen overnight. Fiber is here, heck we even have fiber gpon data and voice lines. But 5g? The rollout is just beginning, and it certainly can help a tech to have these certs under their belt. The op is right about the company not wanting to train anyone though. Heck I’d be surprised if they were even generous enough to send an email with a link to online training material and then not give you anytime to read it while at work.

To the OP, maybe good advice for the young upcoming worker, are you a recruiter for HR hoping to get some Contractors to come in?

This stuff is like reading Mein Kampf and how he worked stuff.

That CAF money will keep somebody interested in rural, be it CTL, or whoever they spin off to, but it will all be contractor work, which should be banned with government funds.

You do know there is more to fiber than just splicing but you probably forgot more about the telecom business than most of us will ever know and yes fiber splicing is easy

Lay-off by skill. Like splicing Fiber is difficult. I spliced it 30 years ago. Nothing changed, it’s so much easier with the new equipment but pretty much same as it was.

Lot of guys don’t want to do fiber they always say I don’t know how and they went to training before you that’s why company should lay-off by skill set

You might be surprised at the amount of copper still being sold and in service in each CO. Numbers are declining but I assure it's no small amount. Also, most guys working copper are working fiber of course.

No one cares about rural. No one is talking about rural. Rural is a small exception to the norm.

Not true. It took almost 10 years after broadband was introduced before my rural area finally got it. We still don't have decent cell phone coverage. Rural communities are a long way off from being upgraded away from copper lines.