Democratic Senators Demand Answers from AT&T on Job Cuts

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), along with seven other senate Democrats, sent a letter to AT&T CEO John Stankey to demand answers about AT&T's recently announced job cuts affecting more than 3,400 union-represented wireline technician and clerical jobs and 1,300 retail jobs at 250 AT&T Mobility and Cricket Wireless stores. The letter was also signed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

The senators insisted that AT&T provide a state-by-state breakdown of the current job cuts and projected job cuts for the remainder of 2020, and asked the company to indicate whether any of the work previously done by the workers whose jobs have been cut will be done by contractors or sent overseas. The letter notes that AT&T's cuts have fallen disproportionately on employees who are union members.

"We understand that for many businesses, the only response to the economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency has been to shutter their doors and lay off workers. We object, however, to corporations using the pandemic as justification for continuing to make anti-worker decisions that are aimed at boosting share price," the senators wrote.