MCI call center closure, outsourcing upsets employees
On Friday MCI closed three U.S. call centers in Alpharetta, Ga., Hunt Valley, Md., and Iowa City, Iowa, upsetting former employees who say their jobs have been sent overseas.
Former employee Kristen McCann said, “Some of us have been working at MCI for a long time. Where are we supposed to go after this? Iowa City is not the easiest place to get a job.”
Former employee Dorie Fowler said, “The accounts we work on and previously worked on were signed by BAN, Bangalore, India. So, they’re doing our work.”
MCI will not confirm the jobs are moving halfway around the world. When asked where the jobs are going, an MCI spokesperson said, “As a global company we evaluate the size of our work force and adjust to meet our business needs.” The spokesperson did say MCI does outsource jobs. — KCRG (Video)
Phone Watch has learned that the jobs previously performed in Iowa City and the other two centers have been sent to MCI centers in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, Greenville, S.C., and Bangalore, India, as well as outsourced to locations in Monterey, Mexico, and Manila, Philippines.
MCI previously told the media that the centers performed telemarketing functions, but Phone Watch has been able to confirm that there were no telemarketers in Iowa City for over a year prior to the closure. It is unconfirmed whether the other two centers had telemarketers at the time of the closure.
Some employees believe the Iowa City center was closed due to union organizing activity. The employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Phone Watch that the Communications Workers of America was prepared to send a representative to assist in organizing efforts in Iowa City.
The merger of MCI with Verizon is pending regulatory approval, and MCI shareholders will vote on the merger on Thursday.
