Dish Network McKeesport office, with 600 jobs, to close

[JAF]

This was taken from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:




Dish Network McKeesport office, with 600 jobs, to close
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
By Moriah Balingit, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DISH Network announced today that it will close its McKeesport call center, which employs 600 people, in March.

The company, which opened the call center there in 1998, said in a statement that the McKeesport facility "does not meet our business needs."

It added that it would help those currently employed there find other jobs.

Bethany Budd Bauer, the city's community development director, said a company official called and left a message with news of the closure with a secretary. She called the company's decision to close the facility, one of McKeesport's largest employers, a blow to the city.

The call center occupies a facility in the Industrial Center of McKeesport, an industrial park that holds eight companies employing 840 people, according to the park's owner, Regional Industrial Development Corp. Allegheny County recently committed $10 million in federal and state money to build a flyover ramp into the site, with the hope of drawing new investment and more jobs

 

[lane_change]

Dish is also changing their dispatch centers around as well. Both the Pinemont and Alvin dispatch centers in Houston, TX are both being shut down and their responsibilities will be transferring to the Tulsa dispatch center. They are going to be increasing the call center duties of the Alvin, TX office as well and are reportedly hiring around 600 new employees in this area. I have heard that they were shutting down numerous locations, reorganizing and restructuring numerous existing locations, and more.

 

[Lifterguy]

This is bad news for Western Pennsylvainia - and the other communities losing jobs. I hope this doesn't mean more customer service calls will be going to off-shore call centers in India and elsewhere. Since Dish already knows they have a problem with customer service, maybe this is a move in the right direction to fix those problems, but with a shake-up this big, I fear the service will get worse before it gets better.

 

[hclarkjr]

i wonder where our techs will come from for this region then?

 

[Stargazer]

Of course it means that more of these jobs are going to get outsourced. It also means that maybe online chat is replacing some of the phone calls along with fewer new subscribers and fewer existing customers calling in possibly. Most likely, outsourcing. I thought Dish was going to start bringing those jobs back to the U.S. ?

 

[pro96]

Wow looks like Dish aint doing too good huh? No wonder they are Americas second best Satellite company and it shows.

 

[dishcomm]

This was taken from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:




Dish Network McKeesport office, with 600 jobs, to close
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
By Moriah Balingit, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DISH Network announced today that it will close its McKeesport call center, which employs 600 people, in March.

The company, which opened the call center there in 1998, said in a statement that the McKeesport facility "does not meet our business needs."

It added that it would help those currently employed there find other jobs.

Bethany Budd Bauer, the city's community development director, said a company official called and left a message with news of the closure with a secretary. She called the company's decision to close the facility, one of McKeesport's largest employers, a blow to the city.

The call center occupies a facility in the Industrial Center of McKeesport, an industrial park that holds eight companies employing 840 people, according to the park's owner, Regional Industrial Development Corp. Allegheny County recently committed $10 million in federal and state money to build a flyover ramp into the site, with the hope of drawing new investment and more jobs

unbelieveable.....The CSR's in this call center, which I deal with as a tech on a daily basis, are terrific. They are for the most part professional and experienced. They do yeoman's work helping us techs out with work order issues as well as technical help.
They will be missed....

 

[Juan]

well obviously they did not meet their numbers

 

[Bob Haller]

Its very sad, mc keesport REALLy needed the jobs. I always liked talking to that call center, they did a excellent job.

the good news is verizon will likely hire lots of them, verizon cell is really growing

 

[Claude Greiner]

Maybe they are just expanding another call center.

As long as they don't outsource these calls outside of the US, then I see no issue.

 

[Bobby]

Maybe they are just expanding another call center.

As long as they don't outsource these calls outside of the US, then I see no issue.

Unless you're a CSR in PA....

 

[zaxxon2000]

Claude you are truly COLD!! No issue? These are people and their means to feed their families.

 

[Stargazer]

If they are expanding another call center (consolidating) then maybe they will offer those people to transfer to the other call center.

 

[vaylon]

If they are expanding another call center (consolidating) then maybe they will offer those people to transfer to the other call center.

Most call center personnel only make a buck or two over minimum wage as it is. I can't see dish offering any incentives to low wage employees to move to a new location.

But keep in mind, this is just a business decision. To be perfectly honest, they have way to many call centers than they need. People are more and more turning to online resources to solve problems, like chat.

This recession is really kicking the crap out of lots of companies and lots of people. Many of my friends have been having to take drastic pay cuts, just to keep their jobs. Most are getting their pay cut all the way down to minimum wages.
It's sad.

 

[Juan]

Its very sad, mc keesport REALLy needed the jobs. I always liked talking to that call center, they did a excellent job.

the good news is verizon will likely hire lots of them, verizon cell is really growing

bzzz wrong verizon Wireless will be closing centers in January

 

[Islandguy43]

Claude you are truly COLD!! No issue? These are people and their means to feed their families.

You can't blame him for what Dish does for profit. I am sure Claude's business has been affected by the automobile industry crisis in the past two years.

 

[Bob Haller]

bzzz wrong verizon Wireless will be closing centers in January

thats news to me, a good friend is in management type job at verizon wireless, as a matter of fact he called me about the mc keesport closing having heard it on the news.

I ewxpect many more shutdowns in us jobs, the recession isnty over its just begun

 

[Stargazer]

Some people have gotten used to the good pay that they receive but will have to change their lifestyles to adjust with their income.

 

[Bob Haller]

Some people have gotten used to the good pay that they receive but will have to change their lifestyles to adjust with their income.

boy is THAT the truth. trouble is too many now have long term debt like mortages they cant afford. my brother lost his machnist job paying 36 bucks a hour. he is in phoenix all manufacturing left for mexico.

he will be making 10 to 12 bucks a hour, and lose his home to foreclosure

 

[Juan]

thats news to me, a good friend is in management type job at verizon wireless, as a matter of fact he called me about the mc keesport closing having heard it on the news.

I ewxpect many more shutdowns in us jobs, the recession isnty over its just begun

Won't know for sure till January but they are merging "some" billing operations with the core company right now.. The technical staff mergers don't happen till January Its called "synergy"