[CTC] New Report Pulls Back the Curtain on AT&T’s Vast Network of Offshored Call Centers

Mon May 8 12:33:05 PDT 2017

 <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h0/JG8nzeknSPFxpZXJZ2P43RB-2BI5OMuyx9KVSO2XdWkkYrPlg9n-2FDAEx5Qi6TbCCXRqylG3S3Dxs3V3w9mgF43C655ZEHXbvl9toKYK-2FG1nF5py-2FIUilEJC2hwiYtuRSnUJX3KR0UwxJUT8Zq4ZYb1lbD4tVwbHM5T7w6Qbj9UYlcM-2Foghdhu0b1s4Z6O-2FAvT2D2HaAze-2BeqgB2KBseHDhlZa9zBNMDTTeef01lWcQsbui-2BO4fr0ZZcMhUnAGXplopitQTioWU0QgDdH0p468-2Be1FcDvoegvom5MwKxrjc5Pojoy0N7rcwl03QYn6l5JxgwM19GGX6bbnS-2BPuB-2Bj9cSE-2BN8c-2BREkUCpIqntltE3CAIdatku7Jd3CnyycEzw4QzGj3MyTQ-2Bd7g8zEYaNBxvuaL42-2Fr84-2Bbb7zGlUAEFxzCw6omrl4zlvQOK8m1eyLCqLt6tB7qIr4iVkOZQM16G8o8I016jwg6c2O5tmBdECEM-3D>
TELECOM POLICY ALERT

Analysis reveals that workers and customers are paying the price for the company’s race to the bottom, which has eliminated 12,000 U.S. jobs 

WASHINGTON —A new report by the Communications Workers of America <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h1/nJPR6ANT-2FfX58h05Wv4EQCgMQUT-2Fls9PH28Rx3cH-2Fy-2B98wHLES7w8e7r8vPV7EQJ7seAicUjNyd1IunuJTFIcDwGbO14PN-2Fp4eu7YUGirOGphR-2Br-2FXaWFWOxX6o-2F-2F3qtDixU76q-2FdlO5pSxNFZZd5KGplT7RATcj6KYYgQbqx1YXyOyiRKPjl1PjmGeyBSBcbp6oXAuy9-2BPvuQ2Y-2Bmn0zA-2FW4R7nYcigXDEWKqPRh1SNpJqjonbxZAt8kQvuiWhJkn4oEnqhhe-2F2EjS-2FvGMxoeRFs7YUMfzR58FxAherNka8mdE6QwsC-2BvhJxJTJIHvPmEL3U7CEEh3l0wfmJQ2veBFR31dKVsCpdsEaXdpzZCWsKItc2UF0d7hjqxoQgG2z7z7SEULdsBoZ3O4ti2bkCTUKJjmvl8iTru5VrrAFkghhDvh9IFHTJD3lLRQr-2BLkCtZ3TC2DLp2j-2BGHCGweAi-2FfbO06emoeSRhsa-2F8kroHI2SBqlAmsY4ue3udZgl6tnKgpH8vkXjKsFxIOqUAxJwwUNpTg06nRnL-2Fo8Y54zx6dOHItE26jU4YnvQChCRtizQ> (CWA) provides an unprecedented window into the company’s sprawling web of 38 third-party call centers in eight countries that are driving a race to the bottom for low wages and compromising quality service for millions of AT&T customers. 

This week, AT&T workers and CWA representatives are meeting with call center vendor employees in the Dominican Republic to learn more about what has happened to the jobs AT&T has shipped overseas and the anti-union backlash facing Dominican workers who attempt to improve conditions. During the Verizon strike last year, CWA representatives uncovered a massive offshoring operation in the Philippines <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h2/Gwrym0CDth1XSy-2Bc81Ch3lqZ6gWhCPR9eEKrBm0X8KEF9cC8vcxoTB-2FH3uIICXRKLLpJa-2FxL49-2FQXD3MgkhBPqnGzf5tjf5MmoULNCdqWOEkP6PgSam3K1hSxdXfZwewyIz7Hb2iUq2lzJEBeVmU-2B7owuYPU3P4atovRYzKq6G0hpf24ZDBKUcBTCDdwhvMT2xYf06lNYTF84lETQVxkZBop6TlgnHk60gU0cToUoJkH7n01E7RKKjUIFovRP-2Fr-2FSvHDeTbB1WcfjSiBFjGYioYD9F1DeU9qrcDuDnpyI7eTwOKabpSqAcxOjhd0NKuGFXGaNBljuHNK5cFk71t-2F5tc1vgpqGvNJI8xzTD7ENh4vciRwwB871QwbwEMvFDwvXz3VfVDF3xPcVod8flSx-2BxZbTsASE-2BNoofFchoy-2BRbNGmuPCka-2FyFcXkocGH0vde9IhWFQooD6OVqoiTrzOrls1r4oONiMErQGFpbqn6yVbnAzEPX73UCu1yBQAxQEweMheg5KT-2BKV1SBf1iNYVhghtDzjipZ7YeuH9FcLqs0Cw-3D>, and were confronted by armed security while seeking a meeting with Verizon management. 

The report draws on interviews and surveys of hundreds of workers in the U.S. and the global call center workforce, who detailed the harmful impact of AT&T’s offshoring on workers and customers. The study also highlights the stories of U.S. communities that have been devastated by call center closures, including Ridgeland, MS, Atwater, CA, and Pittsburgh, PA. 

Since 2011, AT&T has eliminated 12,000 call center jobs in the U.S., closing and downsizing call centers across the country. Rather than keeping those good-paying jobs here at home, AT&T has contracted with third party vendors operating in countries with low wages and weak labor protections. One of these vendors, call center giant Convergys, earns $600 million in revenue from AT&T each year. 

Findings from the study also underscore the risks offshoring poses to AT&T customers, and the company’s own long-term success:

Employees at AT&T vendor call centers face inadequate training and intense pressure to reach unrealistic quotas – making it difficult to meet customer’s needs. 
In several cases, vendor employees have engaged in misconduct that put customers at risk. Workers at AT&T vendors in Mexico, Colombia, and the Philippines sold the names and full or partial Social Security numbers of hundreds of thousands of U.S. customers, prompting a record fine by the FCC. 
In a survey of AT&T workers in the U.S., 85 percent said that they have to solve customer problems caused by overseas vendors several times per week. Vendors often provide inaccurate information, fail to solve problems, offer credits or promotions that cannot be honored, and enroll customers in services they did not request.
While workers and communities in the U.S. are reeling from the loss of family-supporting jobs, employees at AT&T’s vendor call centers face low wages and exploitative working conditions:

In the Philippines, workers at four AT&T vendors earn the equivalent of $1.60 to $2.05 per hour for a 40-hour week. Many say their wages are inadequate to meet basic needs, and wages are expected to decline even further due to an increase in the labor supply. 
In the Dominican Republic, workers at vendor centers are have faced severe retaliation for advocating for their right to form a union. 
In El Salvador, workers earn the equivalent of $2.36 to $3.41 per hour and most rely on other members of their household to make ends meet. Nearly all the workers interviewed reported credit card debt or personal loans.
Today’s report marks the latest in a series of controversies for AT&T. In April, UC Berkeley’s Haas Institute <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h3/OScTlKuAvL7ISeHcMVwef2GjjqZkycJNBtYpi-2FhMHacnY5f68GKasLBdZHI4V56n9UimlXEmE6bRt-2BOoblx7H2Hd5LD1tUeh-2FIynq-2Buf-2FN0lgQTPfSI-2BFljAoh-2Bo3H6u7DIEPpFjeq44-2Bzi-2FhAjg3vAHGWJwj0lYzKnS-2FE25gIq8A0-2FzvDxYkctcJvqmdhLkhrWl5qd9HmKxhUXuE-2Fu5-2B7m-2BT0u0uavi6pY-2B-2FUWtLfcauWhSXDPhSOzYzH4eLqa4pDrc5Ql-2Bfgh8sWQsg7SiGI0810AMLJhot6cM3p9eZktOqrfLCZ0DyG6S6D3gjTAquBf4cRUCpiAdR15OxXIoGtU0jH0YghC6zukTZYIeyEZ5VzCQNMWarwEbyh-2FbhJ1cOSFr3wqP8TaR8CuAXxhOyEJ4uWN3Z6dgBx1HhqIl84QasZNfb91O-2FUJU4rujzs2P365YvVlUL-2BcJmsxKvdgeJXAksAllm29XkPlVy-2B-2F-2FMelCygiLaKc6mkmZ6pHgPCbr>for a Fair and Inclusive Society released a groundbreaking report revealing stark income disparities in the roll out of AT&T’s fiber network. The analysis found that early deployment of the company’s “gigapower” all-fiber service in California is concentrated in wealthier communities – leaving lower-income neighborhoods with significantly slower speeds. 

CWA
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cwa-union.org <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h4/wcZhySX3nESEv6IQvS3OT-2Fh09I2F1H50Huk3gyaT0CstowZ7SU-2B4V3-2BiZ7DwXm9CuDZp7JP7ZIfTUdQ9M8UEpqElupSl7ffGwgosepw3FLf4JurZZRBWki99EkXcyBIPxuwOs-2BwFLu2chCZgEvfitFc9-2Bpb7zmfeOX7H-2FG3hlOc-2BpDCBoOliwRtgVENPwYHatYneVblOGXTLUMlFfs9DB8LhIHtfMrqUHXzJXv55RK3QqW113OPnx9-2FpaAXnT6SGjht6sC7pO5XSfgetljiT8dKsvBhD-2BsCtZVF-2F2nFCdNXGMm42UdIFuP8S5jYkrxFhOU-2Bg7knNAnNsemJSfQbpFf6g-2BlXFHYNxgBam-2FJHggN9AQO2fkTvDcE3zuipUQxP5YE72Cu8ZIhXdH1gjoxl5WmrssTa7cI4Ddr4xIvV4kNiKc6D617wXx54jc1B7cQyFylZWldDfx6TPPoQYGsTMEtq7rDtvjDY5wF8VfiN7o18-3D>
 <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h5/HE2UYZIDTZxfLuJ8qHDFiOthmGq-2BV2W4qFR9vk-2Bjx4efOdAc0Ywvx4eMsw5qx4-2FlMJtrK8pPe8vrHOx-2FTj7q89cQjJhFwmDhSyjjHihyeJD9tK6jNXitGSilTNuvgx5yodURF2Vm6fP6wCQ6BXhJ3oQEOnRm5E3s0CvZkSWL676muf7uKhGQBIAh0-2Ft8ICvt-2FJJEGO9lI747PYZvNcMDf3ZBsjmdG1kbSe0lKF6kq0IQ0Wuh9EBWJbtjnjpl-2BhMtBxCzQWoJacoBvFjWsXU2x-2BtbPpJikdGbKKGxiC5sot8N0SKv8qMIid80TX1mk-2FGELICSNCEgN3gZM6bBeO2fdwgwjZk3AFHpCMXBUpsQwqkaShGK1tZFa0C8ml-2BuQ1LMuPbnxp1316HWKA9hVnNcIGGo6Ya4G-2B5xR8MRYA2WQ27nGirEY7dveHeEaLLeudUaUn2jjjtg8zIhTMSc6o3K76FbrDGSs8DQ8wgVO9fin4nv1oiTKOiTYPVGjHeWdOJ9>  <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h6/VE2atosPJwyp5yA4oN-2FSasJnEhLM6Hxz2b7ILPvu0rsn2HPm7nQo7fHhNyzWgv-2FuTUB0CihKk3Ier8LAeswY0SqUpmSzGOCdPQpl3JvfMOZDEe0mcZQWR041-2FVFRittH9w0CYUR85sIMU4zJNwLCYLzmROnue2ImDMc2mT3zhR1Bgsc6VEv-2FSM7TNNfZDzWrhOvIdHo5F37IBtFKVChqatizA3RZsXCYtVoDffXQpyTQ3ZK5gS-2FGWiwnSuQ6sO3NQfRSmz2XHDc-2BuBwusMTAp6gAxU7P2QtY8Dxs8Zev-2BW3uCoOcxM30CzbHuTZ7RCLN4pAIpSVn2ewl3RerkZx2g3z3db6LVOr66XcL0le2MYvA4sJBFP58eRZmuHi6AOghWSj-2F8158h-2B6KJsjd-2BgWZqRW6E0wIcIKa7YEZsqBifrdVNUmV3Mrb2UybR6i4hU0OqEDHyyqHc-2BtJhgr8i1642HrmYng2jYT09dq3ks8VWHM-3D>  <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h7/XScFdUygk9lHI7pfxHKkZHWNE0-2Fn6wvmx01K7fDrOSmvd-2FMoii3TT-2Fqv0RHR7JEcaIu5MtuFtZZoukG8QHeiI1RpXqSjFMcx7d9tuLwe31wG4L-2BeziyRucSR2KvxGCAm8Ma1Pvp9ClDuhlq2i7YaVWeZNAXVYCcgOaOk4W5Cn1H4JI7WK3X5roGcywVmKqBJuSd5SjxM4mv2YT4m1hPkp5UkhhlH6PNM-2FtuM8-2F73qInCFwxl7GCsDoGDFA5J-2BZXhVoqp8q8eSZD2ZetwjVA7Jgd1zzTp6PYDSFUldm3rXDmx6XCF-2FtPhmCxbeirDF8OsRC5ygjFA09d-2B-2Bh8vBDpmvHqXA0jSCnHwJ6GriYy2FmBXCgFVi6-2F-2B1f8jhscgDBAQk08dFZsj85PsPZKhlyNUTkGpOTJKy8erF5WXQOcMLr-2FAvX6-2Bob9ba9Q6GZizjPneLCaXIIY9t85KL9Gn8ZkZsBstuMKrZ6ZkHecxC-2BZSPbHK2EOqBGGI72oxCLTBx3Hs>  <http://click.actionnetwork.org/mpss/c/5AA/ni0YAA/t.275/j0hVKcg9TvKd5FIwXHYSLg/h8/Ef1iAQdA5S3zQd75X0ppnFgWmI4gz0JHsoXAB2yqSLv3oFliHZb5y9vDm-2FS94V8PyGtUfuLvWVTclSbZ-2FkZNzPITIIuwCIPBeX7LcWUNfY2fbzDw34q7wweBktTIsmjwHhe6D8qAzK7U175hpW9-2BCravU4k4sQhAV4vrMg-2BdPNjD2pCAQqRAcqhOgxUyfZYSY9bRzdJ0d9M01hUJtAu1toAM-2B0BsJ7S-2Fir5eRI26Sb1oVpOd50LpRfBHAOcHYr1LIqiFrmwCLpkzqdVt2dYUSRaPWruSPgz92VJu2UfIglF708BGR55-2FChV-2FgPke4lTmk91F8MukWEwaSPjnC9XbmAb-2FlpWBEWxfnzZOj0LkhGOXPzWlDEuwQJFZYQAFL88-2FKDu7teq5ozjUfi52BxJL4vIvIdeaIonCPbf3dxeq0b-2FNXzrY2WmxK5BdM3fIamEnxTW2XecHoMZmX81Y83xqvY8Mkl5R6GMzI4bEQM9T58ZI0eIZuU00o6lzEZUNqpkb>
Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, CLC.

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