AT&T; Cutbacks to Eliminate 71 Jobs Here

American Telephone & Telegraph will eliminate 71 jobs in Orange County in the next 2 months as a part of the utility’s effort to cut costs and consolidate its operations.

All but 26 of the affected employees will transfer to other positions in the AT&T; national network, according to company officials.

A larger exodus of Orange County AT&T; workers is anticipated in light of the utility’s long-range plan, announced Thursday, to eliminate 16,000 jobs nationwide by the end of 1993.

Paula Gavin, vice president of AT&T;’s network operations group at AT&T; corporate headquarters in New Jersey, said the company will not be able to determine the number of positions that will be cut next year in specific regions of the country until the end of this month. By March, she said, the company will have assessed the regional impact of remaining cutbacks through 1993.

Shauna Lindsay, spokeswoman for AT&T; in Orange County, said AT&T; now employs about 1,000 workers in the county at operational facilities and telephone stores in Santa Ana, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Anaheim, Mission Viejo, Costa Mesa, Westminister and Cypress.

On Dec. 9, she said, the company will eliminate the jobs of 26 technicians in Orange County who install and maintain telephone systems for business customers. So far, she said, alternative AT&T; positions in Orange County and elsewhere have been found for all but two of these technicians.

Also, she said that 45 telephone sales and clerical positions will be cut in Orange County as of Jan. 15 because AT&T; is consolidating its general business systems operation in the county with a similar operation in San Diego. She said that 24 of those workers have decided to leave the company rather than transfer to San Diego.