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AT&T Center Closing Hits 210

Posted on: Monday, 20 February 2006, 18:00 CST

By Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Feb. 18--AT&T is closing its call center on Penn Avenue in the Strip District, throwing about 210 employees out of work.

Employees learned about the decision Thursday. Their last day tentatively is April 21, said Ameenah Salaam, spokeswoman for District 13 of the Communications Workers of America, which represents employees at the facility.

The call center provides support for consumer and small business telephone customers, and is being closed because of declining call volumes, AT&T spokesman Walt Sharp said from the company's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. The work is being consolidated into another call center in Lee's Summit, Mo.

Under their contract, employees have the right to transfer to the new location but few if any are expected to do so, Ms. Salaam said. "It's a long haul from Pittsburgh," she said.

The union has been bracing for consolidation since SBC Communications acquired AT&T Corp. in November. Following the merger, San Antonio-based SBC, one of the Baby Bells created by the 1984 breakup of AT&T, assumed the more well-known AT&T name.

"We kind of knew there would be some closings or restructurings with the merger," Ms. Salaam said. "Unfortunately, usually that's the case when there is any kind of merger."

Mr. Sharp of AT&T wouldn't say how many people work at the Strip District center.

The CWA counts 203 union members and about eight non-union managers.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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