Comcast just announced that they are closing three call centers in California, sending 1,000 jobs to Oregon, Washington and Colorado. The company claims it is because of California’s “high cost of doing business.”
Now, I’ve watched Comcast lobby in the Capitol for years for all sorts of preferential treatment for cable operators. The company spent $690,000 on lobbying last year. We watched as they tried to block the movement of traditional telephone companies into the video space. They have thrived on California-based monopolies for generations, and now walk away as if the state is a foreign country that didn’t help build their business.
Now, I personally believe that steps can be taken to make California a more friendly business climate. Actually, business cheered the recent workers’ comp reform.
I also feel gouged by my $130/month cable bill. But, it’s a cost of doing business (and getting “The Newsroom”).
Let’s tell Comcast to stay in California. Otherwise, those competitive products are looking awfully tempting…
E-mail Kate Oravez (or call 720-267-3009), Vice President, External Relations
E-mail Andrew Johnson (or call 925-424-0273) , Comcast’s Community Relations Regional Vice President, California
Tweet with the hashtag #StayInCaliforniaComcast
Contact your friends who lobby for Comcast to let them know that this is a really stupid move.
Friends, we wear diverse political stripes, but this is something we can work together on to keep jobs in California. Comcast isn’t a normal private company, but rather a quasi-monopoly that owes a little to the state that helped the company yield so much gold. Comcast, lay out your agenda to make California more attractive to you as an employer, lobby for it, and then you can go packing if the Legislature doesn’t respond. Right now, you’re just making excuses.
Editor’s Note – Scott Lay publishes a daily Sacramento update titled “The Nooner.”
As a current employee of Comcast, I thank you for publishing this article, i truly hope people take heed and contact those noted. I have been a Comcast Employee for almost 9yrs. My wife and I were considering purchasing a home closer to the private school our son who has Autism attends, which we have to commute to 45min each way to get him there, i guess that dream is out the door now, in addition, all of my benefits for him are with my medical provider Kaiser, that’s out the door along with other personal thinks going on in my personal life a mother who suffered a major stroke 4yrs ago and is paralyzed and can’t speak, and just diagnosed with breast cancer, and a father who is currently getting treatment for prostate Cancer. I have been a dedicated hard working employee producing big #’s financially for Comcast to be treated like an unwanted pet and kicked in the gutter, however, I a not the only one being affected by the false reasons Comcast is pulling out of Comcast. Just Talk to it’s employees to find out the real reason. Comcast also didn’t mention that there are several employees (virtual agents) working from home, a huge cost saving tactic comcast implemented several years ago. These are Sales agents like myself making thousands of dollars a months for this company. In addition, our retention agents who also worked as virtual agents. I was in that department 4 months ago, when we were informed of the move of that dept. I quickly transitioned back to the Sales dept. still as a virtual agent. Went thru 6 weeks of re training to be handed a pink slip two months later.
Please push Comcast to tell the truth about why they are pulling out of California, it’s because of the laws here that protect California employees like FMLA, LOA and other laws in place. I have also learned that there are tons of employees out on Leave do to overly stressed employees, due to very tense metrics that have to be met monthly by it’s employees. I could go on and on, but it all boils down to Comcast lying about the real reason they are pulling the plug on not 1000 California employees, it’s much more than that.
Here is who to contact to ask Comcast to stay in California, work with us make a better business climate, and recognize the psuedo-monopoly we have built and sustained for them.
Rachelle Chong, [email protected]
Kate Oravez, [email protected]
Andrew Johnson, [email protected]
So get busy out there folks – take a few seconds and make your voice heard –