T-Mobile, workers spar over jobs
T-Mobile call center workers and union representatives yesterday rallied in Oakland to criticize the center's receipt of tax incentives, claiming it hasn't created enough jobs. Company officials, however, are disputing the group's claims that it has laid off workers in recent months.
Several call center workers, as well as representatives from CWA Local 1400 and Maine State AFL-CIO, held a news conference claiming T-Mobile has shrunk its work force from about 700 to fewer than 400 over the past few months and instituted a hiring freeze, according to the Kennebec Journal. They argued T-Mobile should return money it's received from the state or rehire laid-off employees, pegging the amount of public subsidies at $7.4 million.
T-Mobile officials, however, disputed those claims, saying the call center has about 520 employees, and that the drop in employment from last year is due to natural attrition. According to data from Gov. Paul LePage's office, T-Mobile received $2.9 million in tax breaks from 2005 to 2010 because it's in a Pine Tree Zone, and another $560,000 reimbursement to train workers when it first opened. T-Mobile and union officials are also arguing over whether the company promised to create a certain number of jobs at the FirstPark complex.
Meanwhile, AT&T, which is hoping to acquire T-Mobile, released a statement promising the company would not lay off employees in Oakland should the merger receive federal approval. Owen Smith, vice president for AT&T in Maine, also hinted the merger could lead to additional jobs in Maine, saying the company "pledged to repatriate to the United States 5,000 call center jobs that have been outsourced overseas by both T-Mobile and AT&T." The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint to block the merger, arguing it would violate antitrust laws and lead to higher prices for consumers.
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