Saturday March 9, 2013, 1:34 pm
Here's the email I received which alerted me to this:

Thanks for signing the petition in support of my brothers and sisters at Cablevision. Like the workers at Cablevision, T-Mobile workers have been joining the Communications Workers of America to fight for good, middle-class jobs.

But last year, T-Mobile closed my call center in Texas and I lost my job.

In total, three thousand of us were laid off. The only silver lining in that cloud was that some of my coworkers were able to keep their jobs by relocating to other T-Mobile call centers and the Department of Labor ruled we could qualify for extended unemployment and training as our work was now being done offshore.

Now T-Mobile wants to merge with MetroPCS and there's a real risk that more T-Mobile call centers will be closed and my friends will be stuck in new towns without jobs.

Last month I went to Washington DC with T-Mobile call center employees from Richmond, VA and Charleston, SC to make sure that the members of the Federal Communications Commission understand what's at stake. The FCC has the power to put conditions on the merger that could keep and grow jobs here in the United States and bring back jobs sent overseas. We met with some of the commissioners, and made our case.

But our voices aren't enough. We need your help to convince the FCC that workers matter just as much as CEOs and wealthy shareholders.
Help me make sure workers aren't forgotten in favor of the big corporations. Lend your voice and sign our petition.

http://signon.org/sign/im-fighting-for-my-coworkers?mailing_id=9994&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=973201

Thank you!

Blake

Saturday March 9, 2013, 1:36 pm
noted and signed

Saturday March 9, 2013, 1:38 pm
Done! Thanks, Joanne.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 1:43 pm
Think I signed before, but it took again. Thanks Joanne

Saturday March 9, 2013, 1:53 pm
Thanks, J.L. I couldn't find anything on it on Care2, and thought I'd post this rather than starting a new petition. I have been there and done that (employer moved out from under me) so it really reaches me.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:04 pm

Okay, I read the article attached to this submission and then copied the link and it brought me back here. How are people signing this? Maybe I should just check my email (eeks!).

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:09 pm
Sorry Kit! Is this the link you tried?

http://signon.org/sign/im-fighting-for-my-coworkers?mailing_id=9994&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=973201

If not, try it now.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:16 pm

Yep, that is the link and it just brought me back here. Though while looking for this petition I did find some added information about this topic:

From Think Progress:


Last week, telecom giant T-Mobile announced that it plans to close seven of its 24 U.S. call centers. About 3,300 employees work at those centers, and the company is planning to lay off at least 1,900 of them, while offering transfers to some (though it doesn’t yet know how many). Adding insult to injury, four of the centers that T-Mobile is closing received taxpayer subsidies worth millions of dollars, according to Good Jobs First:

– Frisco, TX: $3.7 million

– Brownsville, TX: $5.3 million

– Lenexa, KS: $3.9 million

– Redmond, OR: $1.3 million

These subsidies took several forms, including sales tax exemptions, salary supplements for workers, and job training money. “T-Mobile USA’s decision to close seven call centers, employing 3,300 workers, is a bad one. It harms workers and communities, and in several locations, abuses taxpayers who provided funds to the company in exchange for employment and economic development,” said the Communication Workers of America.

This is the page I get from that link:

Layoffs taking place at T-Mobile - ACTION ALERT! Please sig ...
www.care2.com/news/member/101612212/3544644
40 mins ago – Lend your voice and sign our petition. http://signon.org/sign/im-fighting-for-my-coworkers?mailing_id=9994&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=973201 .
..
Layoffs taking place at T-Mobile - ACTION ALERT! Please sign ...
www.care2.com › People › Care2 Share › Joanne's Sharebook
33 mins ago – Lend your voice and sign our petition. http://signon.org/sign/im-fighting-for-my-coworkers?mailing_id=9994&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=973201 ...
...

My Sign In
www.ask.com/My+Sign+In
Explore My Sign In. Get Answers Now on Ask.com.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:22 pm
I didn't know about this merger, thank you, Joanne. Signed.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:24 pm
How odd! It takes me straight to the petition. What if you go to the SignOn home page and search for Blake Poindexter? He's the author ...

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:29 pm
Ouch.!!! This T-Mobile layoff is effecting a lot of folks too.!! (as in other areas...). My son just received his 'Furlough Letter' in the mail last week.....

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:32 pm
How about this:

http://signon.org/sign/im-fighting-for-my-coworkers?source=c.url&r_by=4842589

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:41 pm
Thanks, Gran Pat! Maybe that will work for Kit too. I can only hope.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 2:56 pm

I kept the Signon page open and used Blake Poindexter and BINGO! So it is signed and tweeted.

http://signon.org/sign/im-fighting-for-my-coworkers/?source=search

Saturday March 9, 2013, 3:22 pm
done1

Saturday March 9, 2013, 3:29 pm
S & N, I certainly hope it helps. We have lost too many jobs already. Thanks, Kit, for the forward.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 3:42 pm
Signed in an instant! Bastards! Thx Joanne and Kit for heads up!

Saturday March 9, 2013, 3:50 pm
When I initially tried to sign it took me to a Seattle Times article regarding the layoff. Oh well? Mission accomplished :)

Saturday March 9, 2013, 4:26 pm
So Signed/shared, Kit & Joanne~~

Saturday March 9, 2013, 4:34 pm
N & S

Saturday March 9, 2013, 4:38 pm
Signed Thanks for sharing this kit

Saturday March 9, 2013, 4:40 pm
signed and posted to FB, thanks Joanne and Kit for the forward

Saturday March 9, 2013, 4:45 pm
Noted and signed. Thanks Kit and Joanne. That picture in the post disgusts me. Males and their deals.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 5:09 pm
Get real. You know you will be out of work then it is up you to find new line of income. The company owes you nothing. The shareholders rule. Get up and move on. This is the way it will be the way it is.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 6:54 pm
signed and noted it's just sad to see that alot of the big companies are either laying off their entire workforce or relocating overseas which in turn does not help our unemployment we already have so many folks out of work we can not afford to just stand idle and watch our jobs disappear we need to stand together and stand our ground and fight for what's right.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 8:18 pm
Thanks Kit for the fwd -signed with pleasure and noted!! Just cut and pasted the petition and link details onto another thread as well - hope this helps -l Joanne - Joela Z spam flagged.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 9:28 pm
Thanks for the fwd Kit, noted with Thanks and signed...yes this damn Joela Z is popping up on every damn article I am reading this afternoon! Cheers Ros! About to flag also!

Saturday March 9, 2013, 10:46 pm
Thanks Gran Pat for the petition link.

To find out that more centres are closing including 4 that received federal funds is absolutely monstrous. These funds should be returned.

Petition signed.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 10:59 pm
I just noticed that on the same page of the Seattle Times story, is an ad for T Mobile Careers with an application attached! How ridiculous is that! If they are indeed in need of people, they should be looking at the layed off workers first before even advertising.

This is unconscionable.

Saturday March 9, 2013, 11:53 pm
Signed and noted. Thanks for posting this, Joanne, and thanks for forwarding this to me, Kit!

Sunday March 10, 2013, 12:01 am
Signed! Back in the 70's & early 80's when a company closed due to out-sourcing it had to pay laid-off workers special settlements for re-training/education. (My mom got it, seems like it was called TRA or something..) But now-a-days it seems you just get a pink slip & are forgotten until your unemployment runs out.

Sunday March 10, 2013, 12:39 am
signed the petition, and noted.

Sunday March 10, 2013, 1:10 am
You have to copy and paste the link in Joanne's first comment to get to the SignOn petition. The Visit Site button will just take you to the Seattle Times article. This is sure worth a fight, Joanne. I signed. Thanks.

Sunday March 10, 2013, 3:16 am
Action taken!

Sunday March 10, 2013, 7:11 am
Petition already signed.

This merger should not have happened in the first place.
More and more companies are merging these days.

Does anyone remember this word "monopoly"... Roughly translates into "too big to fail"...

Ty, Kit forward & Joanne petition.
.

Sunday March 10, 2013, 10:00 am
Thanks Joanne..and thank you Kit for the forward..

Sunday March 10, 2013, 10:22 am
"and the Department of Labor ruled we could qualify for extended unemployment and training as our work was now being done offshore. "

That is bizarre and not right. Not that I don't want them to get the unemployment but with reasoning like this we could easily have the whole population on extended unemployment so compnaies can offshore. When will it stop?

Sunday March 10, 2013, 12:50 pm
Thanks

Sunday March 10, 2013, 1:17 pm
Noted & posted

Sunday March 10, 2013, 1:42 pm
T-Mobile and Orange merged into EE (Everything and Everywhere). As a result, their "service" has declined (especially their broadband service)... but layoffs?! Well, every merger/acquisition in Capitalist/Corporate world has suffered from this.

Sunday March 10, 2013, 3:10 pm
Kit, thanks for letting me know about this.
Signed & Noted!

Sunday March 10, 2013, 4:04 pm
S/N

Sunday March 10, 2013, 6:11 pm
Signed & Noted. Thanks Joanne

Sunday March 10, 2013, 6:27 pm
Noted and signed...thanks Joanne, and thanks to Kit for forwarding to me.

Sunday March 10, 2013, 6:33 pm
Done, thanks Joanne and Kit for fwding.

Sunday March 10, 2013, 8:08 pm

I have flagged that SPAM four times, wonder when they will finally remove it.

Monday March 11, 2013, 5:40 am
done

Monday March 11, 2013, 8:01 am
Thanks for signing!

Indeed Scott that is the way it is now but it doesn't have to be that way, there can be more fairness in the system. It doesn't have to be so dog eat dog. I recall when Companies use to take pride that they could be a vital part in a Community, giving fair wage for the employees labor, making sure their employees had health benefits so that the employer would have healthier employees, that being an employer in the Community was being part of the growth of not only your business but the surrounding area as well. That yearly they'd meet with their employees at picnics and or at Christmas by giving presents to the children of employees at an annual holiday party with music and food.

Besides, where do the now unemployed go?

Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor for Feb. 2013

In February, the number of long-term unemployed was about unchanged at 4.8 million. These individuals accounted for 40.2 percent of the unemployed.

The employment-population ratio held at 58.6 percent in February. The civilian labor force participation rate, at 63.5 percent, changed little.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 8.0 million, was essentially unchanged in February. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

In February, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, the same as a year earlier. These
individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months.

Monday March 11, 2013, 8:02 am
Thanks for signing!

Indeed Scott that is the way it is now but it doesn't have to be that way, there can be more fairness in the system. It doesn't have to be so dog eat dog. I recall when Companies use to take pride that they could be a vital part in a Community, giving fair wage for the employees labor, making sure their employees had health benefits so that the employer would have healthier employees, that being an employer in the Community was being part of the growth of not only your business but the surrounding area as well. That yearly they'd meet with their employees at picnics and or at Christmas by giving presents to the children of employees at an annual holiday party with music and food.

Besides, where do the now unemployed go?

Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor for Feb. 2013

In February, the number of long-term unemployed was about unchanged at 4.8 million. These individuals accounted for 40.2 percent of the unemployed.

The employment-population ratio held at 58.6 percent in February. The civilian labor force participation rate, at 63.5 percent, changed little.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 8.0 million, was essentially unchanged in February. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

In February, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, the same as a year earlier. These
individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months.

Monday March 11, 2013, 8:29 am
Noted and signed...been a T Mobile customer for nearly 8 years now...mainly because of the excellent customer service!

Monday March 11, 2013, 12:55 pm
Signed & Noted, Thanks Kit!

Monday March 11, 2013, 1:45 pm
Well I've been a T-Mobile subscriber since I got my first cell phone - and I DO use their contact lines. But my current contract will be up in December and I believe I will be changing carriers if I can find one that is actually decent to its staff and customers. Not sure that is easy to do. Wal Mart seems to have a really good plan, but I abhor Wal Mart, then again I don't like Sprint, Verizon or ATT either. Doesn't leave many options. And I know T-Mobile will offer me the moon and the sun when I tell them I'm leaving - as they have others I know. I guess you gotta pick your poison sometimes when the choices range from evil to really bad...

Monday March 11, 2013, 2:40 pm
Signed, thanks!

Monday March 11, 2013, 4:00 pm
Already signed. Noted. Thanks, Joanne.

Monday March 11, 2013, 4:34 pm
Gene, and anyone else looking at switching, have you considered CREDO Mobile?
http://www.credomobile.com/
I grant you they have to use existing networks, so that some of their money still goes to ALEC members, butto me "some" is way better than "all," and their discretionary giving goes to progressive causes. Also they sponsor progrssive activism (such as petitions) through their site. In some cases they will even buy out your contract from the evil ones.

Saturday March 16, 2013, 10:27 am
Signed, noted and shared.