SBC to Cut 11,000 Jobs, Capital Spending (total 21,000 year to date)

Reuters ^

[Trust but Verify]

Gut-check time in the TBV household. We both work for SBC. So far we've been very fortunate. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

[El Gato]

Gut-check time in the TBV household. We both work for SBC

Just remember they can (economically) kill you, but they can't eat you. Worse comes to worse, you'll survive. It won't be fun, but you'll survive.

[Trust but Verify]

Yes, we'll survive, but you're right, it won't be fun. If we are let go, the kids are in for a very rude awakening. We've been poor before, they never have.

[Black Agnes]

Ping for the pessimist :)

[raybbr]

I hope you make it through this.

However, there are many Super-capitalists in this forum who would just tell you that the market has spoken and you lose. I think things like this could be avoided if the top people in the corp. wouldn't skim so much off the top. Good luck and God be with you.

[Trust but Verify]

Thank you for your concern. I don't think the company has been mismanaged per se. I think the economy, regulatory environment and the evolving nature of the telecommunications business has come together to make a toxic environment. We have weathered other storms, we'll weather this one as well.

[raybbr]

I didn't mean that they were doing something illegal. Just being greedy as "good" manager would.

[dd5339]

I know the feeling, I'm SBC and my wife stays at home with our daughter. I'm just waiting to see what happens.

I did have a bit of a heart to heart with my state senator this evening about the regulatory environment though. He's going to do some looking into it and see what's going on. As he's one of the good guys, I trust him.

Also, coming from the craft level there is not a lot that can be done other than keeping the head out of the line of fire, doing the job the best as possible, and praying.

We've been doing a lot of praying about this.

Semper Fi

[blueriver]

Searching the H-1B data base for SBC Communications http://www.zazona.com/LCA-Data/ it appears that the company was busy getting H-1B visa's in 2001 (over 1000). Do you know if the company is actively replacing Americans with foreigners on H-1B Visa's?

[Dallas]

SBC is catching hell in Dallas because of a complete 911 failure, and the backup system crashed too. SBC can't explain it, and city officials are threatning to change services.

Now my complaint.....We've had fiber optic cable, and a switching station 700 feet from our home for over a year and a half, and there is still no broadband available. Even more ridiculous, I had ISDN lines installed, but SBC offers no ISDN service since Prodigy took over.

Thanks for listening...I feel better now

[SBeck]

Searching the H-1B data base for SBC Communications http://www.zazona.com/LCA-Data/ it appears that the company was busy getting H-1B visa's in 2001 (over 1000). Do you know if the company is actively replacing Americans with foreigners on H-1B Visa's?

Of course, foreigners are less expensive. Too bad you can't vote the CEOs of corporations into their positions, but, hey, this is a free-market society and the bottom line rules.

[Trust but Verify]

Replacing workers, I don't know, but I'd doubt it. I know there seem to be quite a few Indians working for the company in very technical positions. I assume that's where they found the skills they needed.

[Trust but Verify]

I heard about the problem in Dallas. 9-1-1 is what both my husband and I are involved in, but in Wisconsin. That has never happened up here and thank God for it.

As for your problems obtaining broadband, is there a regulatory environment that has made it less attractive for SBC to offer DSL? In Wisconsin, we have it almost everywhere, but Illinois PUC wanted us to give physical access to our remotes to competitors. Rather than allow that, they just didn't offer the service.

[eno_]

Actually the fiber and the DLC in your neighborhood prevent you from getting DSL. The DSLAM wants copper all the way from it to your DSL modem. And since the telcos won't open their DLC cabinets to competitors, and are barred from putting new-generation DSLAMs out in those cabinets, you get no DSL.

[bandlength]

somehow, being poor does a lot for a kid's character (i mean really poor, not the privileged welfare royalty that we have today). been unemployed for a little over 7 mos now with no prospects in sight. it's building my kid's character, i believe. spoiling is definitely out.

[bandlength]

they probably are. in our town they are outright hiring H1-bs only in the newspaper help wanted ads (isn't that discrimination of some sort?)

[from occupied ga]

We're keeping our fingers crossed.

WRONG ATTITUDE!!! Been there, done that, several times. DON'T WAIT for the pink slip. Start looking for another job NOW! Cell phone providers took away revenue? Then look at the cellular industry for a job. Start up LECs taking revenue? Then look for a job there. If you see the sh!t coming toward the fan don't just stand there an hope the you won't get spattered.

[Non-Sequitur]

Cell phone providers took away revenue? Then look at the cellular industry for a job.

Have you seen the stock prices of the cellular companies lately? I work for one and layoffs are coming here, too.

[from occupied ga]

Layoffs may be coming, but strange as it may seem, they are still hiring. The layoffs are mostly in the stores, and where they hit other than that they're going to be disproportionately from the middle aged white boys with a fair amount of time with the company (don't want to pay those benefits) So if you're a middle aged white boy (no federal protection) in one telecommunications company, you can switch over to a lower level job (or sometimes even a higher level job) in another telecom. This is because as a new hire you won't have a load of benefits, so you won't be on the middle of the bull's eye. If you wait until the axe falls before you start looking you will be one of hundreds looking and the odds will be against you.