WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Union Criticizes FairPoint for Outsourcing
Member Center:
Montpelier, Vermont - January 28, 2009
Union members are criticizing FairPoint for not creating as many jobs as promised.
The union told lawmakers Wednesday that the company outsourced 34 credit collections jobs to a Mississippi firm.
But FairPoint officials say that under Verizon collections were also outsourced. And they also made the decision based on the economy, since the Mississippi firm costs less.
Union official Don Trementozzi says the union's members are better trained to deal with customers.
"Why are you focused on taking experts on collecting money and servicing customers-- giving good quality service to our customers-- why are you going to risk that and give it to a Mississippi call center?" Trementozzi asked.
Pam Porell of FairPoint said, "We decided rather than bring in more employees for that function, we would leave it as an outsourced function with a company that has more capabilities to upramp or downramp according to demand."
FairPoint says it is on track to complete upgrading infrastructure and start taking service calls again on February 9th.
Kristin Carlson - WCAX News
