Thread regarding CenturyLink layoffs

I’ve been net tech 20 years in Phoenix and they have cut all overtime we are not doing any digs and we are the absolute largest market in all 38 states on consumer side. The just want enterprise everything else can go s--- it I guess it’s a bummer to start a career over at 50 if they run this thing in the ground and also wtf is the union doing the us west original 14 states contract is up in less than a year

I do feel the same way. I hope this company gets a good lesson and give hour extra hours back. Understaffed making people do a lot more works wanting more stuff out of them. Getting notifications and emails from higher management lIke all is good and many good things are going real good. The dude states we are now measured on performance yet he ate and other management a couple of million just for the merger. They seem not to care about quality and how long any of us been with a company; just schedules based on performance. What a big joke. Time is coming CenturyLink stop the shortcuts; ship is sinking and learn to value your workers. When going to work at your place is like going to a funeral home.

National = Non Represented. They do the same job the Represented do those might Cyber Centers, that's where they roam, Operations Tech is same as a OST and CDT or COT.

If we had went on Strike on the represented side, these guys are the Companies back up plan.

National Tech = Legacy Level 3 or Legacy Qwest “Network Tech”. Nothing special, just a fancy job title. They have SO many specialized departments and NOC’s for every single thing they touch so don’t take all those fancy job functions too seriously because it doesn’t really mean anything except those are the departments they have for support. Anyways, glad to hear some people out there think their jobs are still safe like they can’t be replaced by contractors who can call those exact same departments and do their jobs should the company deem fit.

well you national techs work for an entirely different company than most of us particularly in rural America...…. Jus sayin

National field ops tech III. Look it up on the company directory. We do fiber transport, ethernet, CO and customer power/batteries and some CO/Special work, and hosted. A lot of our work involves fiber locates. They have been building last mile free if the cust signs a multi year contract for about two years now in mid-atlantic.

After 20 years I was on blood pressure pills and anti depressants, I left early last year and now I'm off all of it. Get out of there before you have a heart attack.

what is a National tech?

They aren't selling fiber ethernet here? And certainly no free mile for a contract., Nope instead they push customers off to the competitor and call it a day, or offer a 3 year paid cell phone...? TOTAL OVERTIME BLACKOUT in Rural America. Your livin in the "bubble" the sweet spot... good for you "National Tech" . Your livin the dream !! it aint like that for the rest of us pal . You sorta sound like a company troll to me in fact. have a great day

You are correct, no plant repairs and they want the CSTs to quit, so they can bring in contractors and move them in and out as workload increases and decreases.

Fiber Ethernet is what they want to sell, and they are. Building up to a mile free with a contract. Selling a Gig for $400 a month and 500 Meg for $250 a month.

We can't install RADs and Adtran's fast enough. No OT restriction on National techs.

Don't quit!They WANT you to quit, these fools think contractors are what they need!They think it's cheaper to hire contractors than to keep techs around. They have no clue about running a telco operation, and think some fly by night contractors going to care about long term result.Fools run this company now and they're only getting more foolish with their decisions!

ZERO--------------------------------ZERO ___ NO OVERTIME AT ALL ____

Call management 3 HOURS AHEAD if you THINK you need overtime then it will be DENIED

I averaged 5-600 hours a year for the last 8 years____30 _____yes 30 paltry ot hours 2019 at half year mark

Like I have stated repeatedly elsewhere every area being handled differently so areas actuall have good plant and systems and such the majority of the Rural plant and its techs ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,NO OVERTIME __ NO PLANT REPAIRS _____

Not sure what part of the country you are in, but i am a national tech too, i i certainly am not just walking out because i have 9 hours in. We are still working 60-70+ a week.

Listen gents/ladies this is coming from a legacy Level 3 national tech. This type of behavior from

Management has been happening for years to us. I suspect it will never change and this is the new telecom. We have always been understaffed and over subscribed with work. I don’t self medicate in fact I go to work with a I will do what I can attitude after my 9 hours I go home and leave it all behind. Don’t let these Claud’s dictate your happiness.

I just laugh. Every customer gets my boss number. Why put the burden on me?.pass the ball to management. It's their mess let them deal with it.

Sure it s---s. It's different. As a field tech I find it very satisfying to apologize to the customer for dealing with a massive telecom that doesn't care about them. But I do. I bend over backwards, go the extra mile. What do I get? A thank you. Maybe they email the manager. Or a tip on a good day. The point is, if you let this place dictate how you feel, you are going to feel worthless. If you do your best, that's all anyone can ask. I know I can't do my job without you on the other end of chat or the phone. We are in this together. The best part of my day is spent comiserating with coworkers across the nation in how f**#^d up this situation is. Chin up y'all. At least you woke up this morning.

Your not alone, feels like they are orchestrating failure to break us down, make us quit, or target groups to manufacture failure and justify other actions.

Many are on Blood Pressure medication and anti depressants now, or anxiety medication. Many dread waking up the next morning to come into work know the only good news they will hear is how successful the One Company One Culture is working. Also the latest survey says 70 percent or more like the company and what's going on. Did the Russians fix the Poll's on that survey as well or did they just count former Level 3 Employees.

Nobody I know or talk to feel anything positive on where we are at. Yes I am working in the Network side and maybe that's why we never see anything positive happen.

Op you are in the majority lol.

Don't feel bad dude. I am in a CST group where EVERYONE is on nerve medicine of some sort. A couple of the older guys have become full fledged alcoholics thanks to this place. If you ask your coworkers and they are honest, i bet you find out they are ALL drinking or on nerve pills. It's not just you.

I think it's phycological warfare. The L3 management dictators are the main culprits. Bring back Glen post at least he had empathy.

Yeah, I have been here over 20yrs. I work in the business office. I hate my job now. All i can do to make myself get up and go to work in the mornings. They keep piling c-ap on us, no training, systems s---. No one knows where to find any information, we cant even navigate the f'n handbook to find contact numbers anymore. Customers call in ticked off, we get a good tongue lashing because they think everything is our fault. I am L EQ and been through a lot of changes with this company but I have never despised my job as much as I do now. I am literally praying they offer me a pkg. I can't quit and too young to retire. I need a package to pay off debt. So I have no choice but to stay until the end. No other decent jobs around here.

I dont drink but I cry! Almost every single day. This place has went to H3ll in a handbasket! Everyone thinks our job is f'n easy. We "just" sit behind a desk and take calls all day. BS! Our job s---s. We cant walk away or hang up on these people. We are mentally and physically drained! You have no idea what we go thru or have to deal with unless you have done it! And customers constantly going to our superiors to complain and bit64 about something we did. And now other reps in other groups get to do quality on us when they dont even know how to do our job. We get written up because we called an assignment rep for an address!! Omg! I am just over this place! God, please let them offer us pkgs!!

I think it’s tradition for any CTL employee!

You're not the only one that drinks to self medicate.

yup feel 100% the same way and use plenty of barley pop daily as well - only difference, I'm inside a test center and all of us feel like this.