GTE to Lay Off 19 Area Workers

GTE California said Friday it will lay off 514 workers--including 19 in Ventura County--in response to increasing competition, technological advancements and the sluggish state economy.

The 19 local workers facing layoffs involve one supervisor, five cable splicers, one mechanic and three frame maintainers in Thousand Oaks; five cable splicers, one frame maintainer, and one mechanic in Oxnard, and one clerk and one frame maintainer in Camarillo, a company official said.

Cable splicers fuse the loose ends of cables, and frame maintainers complete service orders, said Daniel Smith, a spokesman at GTE California headquarters in Thousand Oaks. The majority of laid-off employees are cable splicers and frame maintainers, whose jobs the company has been able to perform with advanced technology at less expense, company officials said.

Another reason for the layoffs is increased competition in the local telephone market, Smith said. GTE California provides local and regional long-distance service and data communications to 3.1 million customers in 330 communities, mostly in Southern California.

The recessionary economy has also hurt the company, cutting in half its phone business growth rate since the late 1980s, Smith said.

GTE said it would provide job-transfer opportunities where possible. Affected employees who do not find another job with GTE will receive pink slips March 7, along with severance pay packages and job-search assistance, Smith said.