BOTHELL — AT&T Wireless Services could begin issuing layoff notices as soon as Monday to some of its information technology workers, including those based in the company’s south Snohomish County offices.
Spokesman Peter Rowe wouldn’t detail how many people may lose their jobs in the continuing cuts. He said, however, that it will be "significantly smaller" than 1,000 workers, a figure cited by unnamed sources by a Seattle newspaper.
"To a certain extent, this is kind of old news," Rowe said of the impending layoffs, which are only the latest in a series of cuts first announced in 2003. By the end of this year, AT&T Wireless plans to have eliminated 1,900 jobs.
As of this month, the company employed about 2,200 workers in Bothell, down from about 3,000 in 2002. That includes customer service representatives and information technology workers spread throughout several office buildings between Canyon Park and the North Creek area.
The cuts come while the company is up for sale. Bids from potential suitors — believed to include Cingular Wireless, Nextel and Vodafone — were due Friday.
Overall, AT&T Wireless employs about 30,000 people, including about 5,000 in Washington. Because the company made several acquisitions over the past five years, Rowe said many of the layoffs have happened in other areas. That includes workers affected by the consolidation of the company into two main locations: northern New Jersey and the corporate headquarters in Redmond.
"Also, head count reduction is just one part to increase profitability," Rowe said. "We’re installing major new software platforms and other things from the technology perspective. "
The company also has outsourced some of its work to contractors in India as a cost-savings move. Rowe said, however, that the new layoffs are not related to overseas outsourcing by the company.
While AT&T Wireless reported a net profit of $442 million for 2003, the company has had a rough couple of months.
The No. 3 wireless provider in the nation had problems moving mobile-phone numbers to other carriers after a new number portability regulation took effect in November. The company received so many complaints about delays in transferring customers that the Federal Communications Commission inquired about the problem.
AT&T Wireless also ranked poorly compared with its rivals in a recent Consumer Reports survey of customer satisfaction.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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