Business

  

AT&T to close Wichita call center

BY DAN VOORHIS

The Wichita Eagle

AT&T will close its Wichita call center that handles land-line service calls, cutting nearly 85 jobs, AT&T told employees Thursday.

The jobs will be eliminated in early August, spokesman Jerry Lawrence said. But employees may continue to be paid until Nov. 1.

The company is consolidating call centers in its shrinking landline business and will move the jobs to call centers in Houston and North Hollywood, Calif.

Workers were called into a meeting Thursday morning and given the news, said Brenda Honse, executive vice president of Local 6402 of Communications Workers of America and a call center employee.

"There were a few tears," she said. "There was a little bit of disbelief."

She said the employees had been told three years ago that the Wichita call center might close in the future, so they had it in the back of their minds.

"But until it's actually told to you, it's not real," she said. "Then it was, 'Wow, did he say what I think he said?' It's kind of a shock."

Some of the workers will be offered positions at the other call centers or may apply for jobs in growing parts of AT&T operations, Lawrence said.

"It's been a declining area of the business for years," Lawrence said of the landline business. "But we're hiring people in wireless and digital TV, which is growing."

AT&T will retain its technicians and customer service representatives in Wichita.

Duckwall-Alco

Duckwall-Alco Stores said Thursday that its sales decreased nearly 1 percent in April.

The Abilene-based discount retailer said sales from continuing operations were $33.5 million, down from $33.8 million a year ago. Same-store sales, however, decreased 8.6 percent in April.

The company closed nine Alco and two Duckwall stores in April. It opened two Alco stores. It has 251 stores in 22 states.

Eagle staff