AT&T Inc. the Dallas-based telecommunications firm has joined the ranks of companies reporting job cuts. On Thursday they announced that they will eliminate 12,000 jobs, approximately 4 percent of their workforce starting this month and continuing through 2009. AT&T, which has 300,000 employees recently laid off 4,000 workers last April and stated that this round of layoffs would be companywide and affect all parts of the country, including Dallas-Fort Worth. AT&T officials said that the laid off workers will receive severance according to their contracts.
AT&T’s landline business has been declining steadily over the years as many customers have dropped their landline services and opted for wireless instead. But this isn’t just about customers switching the type of services they use. AT&T is another behemoth corporation (just like the automakers) who has refused to adapt to change. Now it is the ordinary worker who suffers job losses. It may be only a matter of time before we hear about AT&T considering bankruptcy.