AT&T; to Lop Off 16,000 Jobs

American Telephone & Telegraph Co. said today it will cut thousands of jobs along with taking a $6.7-billion charge against its fourth-quarter earnings to cover expenses related to getting rid of outdated telephone equipment.

AT&T; said it will reduce the number of its network employees by 10,000 and the number of its operator service employees by 6,000 over the next few years. AT&T; does not yet know how many of the employees will be given jobs elsewhere in the company because that depends on the company’s growth, spokeswoman LuAnn Gardner said.