CWA: 28,000 jobs lost if Sprint/T-Mobile US merger goes forward
Contrary to what the companies are telling federal regulators, the Communications Workers of America union says a Sprint/T-Mobile US merger will “result in massive job losses totaling more than 28,000,” according to CWA President Chris Shelton.
Executives from the two carriers have been working Capitol Hill looking to garner approval for the proposed $146 billion merger, which values Sprint at $59 billion. Primary talking points in support of the Sprint/T-Mobile US merger, as laid out in a public interest statement filed in June with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, include:
- Accelerated deployment of a nationwide 5G network to compete with Verizon and AT&T offerings;
- Lower consumer prices;
- Improved broadband speeds in rural communities;
- New competition to home broadband providers;
- And, “The merger will create thousands of additional American jobs.”
More on that last point from the public interest statement: “The merger will create jobs on New T-Mobile’s first day and going forward. New T-Mobile will hire employees to build the new network; extend the Un-carrier customer care model to a wider subscriber base; and support customers in growing segments like in-home broadband, enterprise, and IoT. New T-Mobile’s increased investment and rapid growth—and resultant accelerated roll-out of 5G services—also will stimulate thousands of additional jobs throughout the U.S. economy.”
The CWA wants “a binding commitment not to eliminate jobs in their proposed merger, to stop violating federal labor laws, and to fully respect workers’ rights,” Shelton said.
Specifically, CWA projects the Sprint/T-Mobile US merger will eliminate 12,600 jobs in the postpaid retail segment, 11,800 jobs in the prepaid retail segment and 4,500 jobs from the companies’ headquarters. CWA’s complete FCC comment, as well as a detailed methodology for the job losses, is available here.
The union also points out what it characterizes as “a long history of violation of employment law and workers’ rights,” detailing six labor law violations since 2015 from T-Mobile US and 40 unfair labor practice chargers since 2011.
