Deadline Near for GTE Employee Buyout

In a continuing move to reduce employment, GTE California Inc. said it is offering incentives for workers to leave the firm. GTE union and management workers have until Friday to apply for the voluntary separation program, which will provide cash based on length of service.

Dan Smith, a spokesman for the Thousand Oaks-based subsidiary of GTE Corp. of Stamford, Conn., said the program was intended to avert layoffs. Nonetheless, he said, “It is possible that there could be layoff notices issued next year,” depending on how many workers accept the offer.

Last year, GTE California offered a similar program that 300 workers accepted. But afterward, GTE California issued 400 layoff notices, which it later rescinded after targeted job cuts were met through attrition and transfers.

The latest separation program, which Smith said has no target number, is part of GTE’s ongoing plan to cut jobs because of technological changes and competition in the telecommunications industry. GTE California said it has cut about 1,000 jobs annually in the last several years.

GTE California now employs about 14,300 workers statewide, including 1,200 in Thousand Oaks. Smith said GTE California hopes to reduce the number of cable splicers, equipment installers, maintainers and clerical positions, as well as some general management jobs.

Under the program, management and union workers with less than 20 years of service will receive one lump-sum payment depending on length of service, with a maximum of 36 weeks’ pay. Workers with more than 20 years’ service will receive monthly checks for up to 48 months, also based on tenure but with no set limit. Workers who accept the program will also receive health care coverage for six months, among other benefits.