CONNECTICUT, UNITED STATES – Telecommunications and mass media giant Charter Communications has announced the layoff of over 1,000 employees as part of its ongoing consolidation of customer service operations.
This move follows the closure of call centers in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and Syracuse, New York, earlier this year.
Impact on spectrum and future employment
The layoffs affect Spectrum, Charter’s subsidiary, and its call centers in Ontario; California (425 jobs lost); Rochester, Minnesota (352); Austin, Texas (232); and Columbus, Ohio (175). These job cuts, all impacting customer service center positions, are set to take effect on August 15.
Charter, which employed approximately 101,100 full-time employees at the end of 2023, will see about 1.2% of its workforce impacted by these layoffs.
Charter has stated that they are committed to retaining as much talent and experience as possible. Employees at the affected locations can transfer to other Spectrum customer service centers with relocation benefits and are encouraged to apply for available positions within the company.
Those who do not secure a role after the closures will receive comprehensive severance benefits.
Charter’s $55 billion acquisition and price hikes
These layoffs come nearly a decade after Charter’s $55 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, during which the company had pledged to create 20,000 new jobs, including repatriating its overseas call centers.
However, the promised number of new jobs has been steadily decreasing since 2017.
In addition to the layoffs, Charter has confirmed this week that prices will increase on their base internet, TV, and landline phone plans in July, marking the second price hike in less than six months.
The base pricing will rise by $3 a month, with similar increases in some TV and phone plans in certain states. The company attributes these rising costs to increased programmers’ fees.
This consolidation and the upcoming price hikes come at a challenging time for Charter, which reported a loss of 72,000 internet customers and 405,000 cable TV customers in the first quarter of 2024.
