Comcast Call Center In Natomas To Close

COMCAST CALL CENTER IN NATOMAS

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
updated 1:45 p.m.

Hundreds of Comcast employees were called to a mandatory meeting this morning at the Sacramento Convention Center and told the call center where they work in Natomas will close Nov. 30.

Comcast today announced the consolidation of its three California call centers to locations in Seattle, Denver and Portland, citing the high cost of doing business in the state.

“We had word last year that Comcast may need to take some cost-savings measures in closing various sites,” said Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby, who represents the area of Natomas where the call center is located. “We had hoped the situation would not manifest.”

The Natomas community as a whole will be affected by this closure.”

Employees at the Natomas call center, located on East Commerce Way, were told of this morning’s meeting while at work yesterday. Workers were advised to bring their employee identification to the meeting and that they would have the rest of the day off from work and not returning to the call center afterward.

Some employees were reportedly informed of the plans to close the call center and move jobs out of state while at work on Monday, but most workers said the announcement came as a complete surprise.

“The loss of the Comcast Regional Center in Natomas is unfortunate for many reasons. The lives of the employees/families affected by this announcement are now faced with sudden income loss and needing clear answers,” said Danielle Marshall, president of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce. “Additonally, those local establishments that have relied on the business of those employed by the call center will be impacted severely. The Natomas community as a whole will be affected by this closure.”

Approximately 1,000 call center employees located in three facilities, including more than 300 in Natomas, will see their positions shifted to other Comcast call centers. Customer calls now being handled by workers in Natomas, Livermore and Morgan Hill will be managed outside of the state in the future. The total number of employees answering the phones will not decrease as a result of today’s announcement, according to Comcast.

Andrew C. Johnson, Regional Vice President, Comcast California told THE NATOMAS BUZZ company officials would meet individually with each call center employee in the coming week. Comcast will work with displaced employees who wish to relocate to call centers outside of California or help them find jobs elsewhere within the company. For those employees who cannot find a position at Comcast, he said the company will provide severance benefits and outplacement help.

“We are disappointed to learn that our region will lose these jobs,” Ashby said. “Comcast has been a tremendous partner and employer in our Natomas community.”

ALL QUIET AT THE CALL CENTER EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE