CenturyLink Cutting Hundreds of Jobs in Latest Workforce Assessment

CenturyLink will shed more than 300 employees companywide by the end of May, including 150 of the more than 2,000 workers in Minnesota.

CenturyLink spokesman Mark Molzen confirmed the layoffs, saying “based on continuous assessment of our business needs and workforce alignment, we are reducing our field operations workforce by approximately 310 employees.” The last work day for these employees will be May 29.

CenturyLink;s Mark Molzen

These workers perform installation and repair, as well as central office duties, he said.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represent about 25% of CenturyLink’s workers.

“While raking in billions in taxpayer dollars, CenturyLink has tried to evade its service quality obligations, laying off hundreds of experienced workers in the process,” said Brenda Roberts, CWA’s District 7 vice president. “CenturyLink’s job cuts are harmful to employees, their families and communities nationwide – and not to mention – bad for business. CenturyLink is sending a clear message to the families and businesses it serves that providing reliable phone service and standing up for its employees are their last priorities.”

CenturyLink’s workforce totaled about 43,000 employees globally as of the end of last year.

Thousands of CenturyLink workers lost their jobs in 2018 in the aftermath of it finalizing its $34 billion Level 3 Communications acquisition.

In its 2017 annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), CenturyLink said it had 52,500 employees after its Level 3 acquisition was completed. In its 2018 annual report, the company said it had about 45,000 employees. It included no explanation for the job cuts.