UTILITIES

Ex-PacBell Managers File Suit: The lawsuit filed by a group of laid-off managers claims that the company broke its promise and violated federal law in getting rid of 2,000 to 3,000 management workers. The U.S. District Court suit accuses Pacific Bell and its parent company, Pacific Telesis, of falsely telling laid-off employees their jobs were being eliminated, while creating identical jobs for contract employees without benefits. The companies’ job security plan required the employer to help managerial employees find new jobs for 60 days after the layoff notices, said the managers’ attorney, Mark Thierman. Pacific Bell spokeswoman Jill Foley said the company considers the suit baseless. San Francisco-based PacBell has set a goal of eliminating 10,000 jobs as a cost-cutting move to prepare for competition after the deregulation of telephone service in California.