The U.S. Labor Department recently discovered that T-Mobile USA moved jobs overseas after it closed local call-centers amid layoffs of U.S. employees. A Bloomberg report says that the Labor Department findings contradict the company’s claim and provides for workers to apply for government help.
“The workers’ firm has acquired from a foreign country services like or directly competitive with services supplied by the workers which contributed importantly to worker group separations at T-Mobile USA,” said the Labor Department on their website.
The labor departments finding provides for employees of all the recently closed call-centers to be eligible to apply for “adjustment assistance.”
“All workers of T-Mobile USA, Inc., Call Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania (TA-W-81,520), T-Mobile USA, Inc., Call Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (TA-W-81,520A), T-Mobile USA, Inc., Call Center, Frisco, Texas (TA-W-81,520B), T-Mobile USA, Inc., Call Center, Brownsville, Texas (TA-W-81,520C), T-Mobile USA, Inc., Call Center, Lenexa, Kansas, TA-W-81,520D), T-Mobile
USA, Inc., Call Center, Thornton, Colorado (TA-W-81,520E), and T-Mobile USA, Inc., Call Center, Redmond, Oregon (TA-W-81,520F), who became totally or partially separated from employment on or after April 17, 2011 through two years from the date of certification, and all workers in the group threatened with total or partial separation from employment on the date of certification
through two years from the date of certification, are eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under Chapter 2 of Title II of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.” Signed in Washington, D.C., this 11th day of July, 2012.
T-Mobile USA spokesman David Henderson said that the company was “surprised” by the Labor Department’s decision “because the facts provided did not support that the work done by these employees was sent offshore.” Furthermore, the company “has long had and does utilize partners both within the U.S. and in other countries.”
A local newspaper report in Leigh-Valley, Pennsylvania is reporting that more than 600 workers who were laid off when T-Mobile closed down the local call-center are now eligible for a federal program that pays them and subsidizes health insurance costs while they train for new jobs.
Any call-center employees familiar with this ruling and have been contacted by anyone about it?