MCI to Close Albuquerque Call Center

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – MCI, the No. 2 long-distance carrier, will close its Albuquerque call center at the end of July, a move that will mean the loss of 800 jobs.

Company spokeswoman Carolyn Tyler said Friday the closing of the Albuquerque call center is part of MCI’s ongoing efforts to cut costs by eliminating 7,500 jobs worldwide.

“Both market pressure on MCI’s traditional consumer business and the company’s need to lower its cost structure have compelled MCI to streamline its operations in order to better position the company for future success,” the company said in a statement.

Tyler said the last work day for most of the employees at the Albuquerque center will be July 20. The center, which opened in 1989, will shut down by July 30, Tyler said.

Tyler said full-time employees at the center will be eligible for severance pay. Severance packages will range from a minimum of six weeks’ salary to six months.

Tyler said MCI also will assist the employees with resume writing and will host job fairs to help them find other jobs.

MCI will have 14 call centers remaining throughout the U.S. In March, the company announced it was closing call centers in Phoenix, Ariz., Glendale, Colo., and Niles, Ohio.

MCI said earlier this year the elimination of 7,500 jobs – about 15 percent of its work force – was necessary to get its costs in line with weak revenues that resulted in a first quarter loss of $388 million.

MCI employs about 50,000 workers, not including layoffs of 4,500 workers announced in March.

The combined elimination of 12,000 jobs will save the company $600 million a year once fully implemented, Michael Capellas, MCI president and chief executive officer, said earlier this month.

Besides its headquarters in Ashburn, Va., the company’s largest offices are in Tulsa, Okla.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Hilliard, Ohio and the former corporate headquarters of Clinton, Miss., according to the company’s annual report.

The company estimated that the layoffs and other cost-cutting would allow it to return to profitability in the second half of the year.

The company’s earnings release this month was the first for the company since it emerged last month from nearly two years of bankruptcy protection and changed its name from WorldCom.