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From: ehopper@ehpcb.wlk.com (Ed Hopper)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Collect Call from AT&T to: AT&T Employees
Message-ID: <15616@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 21 Dec 90 02:48:24 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 899, Message 4 of 10


werner@rascal.ics.utexas.edu (Werner Uhrig) writes:

> [ I told them in 1985 to buy Apple, but they wouldn't listen to me ... ]

There were serious discussions with Apple, and: Atari, DEC, DG, Unisys
and pretty near everyone else except IBM.  (Hmmm..buy IBM, combine
bureaucracy and cock-eyed technology!)  The DEC deal almost happened.
Olsen said no deal at the end.

> [Moderator's Note: I am sorry the phone number was not sent along with
> the article. I didn't remove it ... I did not receive it!  Please send
> this number so that AT&T employees and stockholders who read the
> Digest can use if if they wish.  PAT]

They (NCR) listed the office numbers of all AT&T board members
(including the ones who are officers of other corporations and not
full-time AT&T employees).  I don't have the original ad, hence no
phone numbers. At least two of the numbers were wrong.  The press (USA
Today) reported that very few (i.e., under five per board member)
calls were received.

The CWA is deeply involved in fighting this.  Being a UNIONIZED
computer company has been a massive handicap.  Good people get laid
off because they are young, older, former PBX installers, who often
can't spell "C", are retained.

After a VERY poor start, AT&T-CS management has made a major
(internal) public relations effort to alleviate sagging morale in
Computer Systems.  The continued cheap shots from NCR, the press, and
our "friends" in other AT&T departments are hard to take.  We know
better, but still.  Last week, in an Alliance call with the Southern
Region sales staff, our VP told us "We don't think every NCR employee
walks on water and our people are pond scum."

Last Friday, Allen, Kavner and Rich McGinn (president of Computer
Systems) held a 2 1/2 hour live video teleconference with all CS
employees.  They aren't promising everyone a job, they are promising
to be fair.  One bright spot: in 1990, AT&T hired 22,000 people.
Total AT&T Computer Systems employment is 7,000.  There is a corporate
wide restriction on hiring now in order to manage this situation.
We'll see.

Personally, I'm not going to worry about it.  I've been through this
before and it isn't worth wasting your stomach lining on.  I figure
that when I reach the Pearly Gates, I can say "I'm an AT&T employee
who's been through divestiture and the NCR merger, I've spent my time
in hell."


Ed Hopper

BBS: 713-997-7575  ehopper@attmail.com  ehopper@ehpcb.wlk.com