Frontier Communications to Close Elk Grove Call Center

Frontier Communications will close its Elk Grove call center May 31, transferring more than 40 jobs to the company's other offices around the country, General Manager Jim Cline said Tuesday.

Elk Grove will remain Frontier's Western regional headquarters, with close to 100 managers, engineers and repair technicians continuing to work out of two buildings the company owns here—including the East Stockton Blvd office that currently houses the call center.

Cline said the company, which provides telephone and Internet service in rural areas, is consolidating its customer service operations after acquiring land lines in a number of states from Verizon in 2010.

"We're the fourth-largest telecommunications company now in the country. We have to modify our support structure to accommodate the total number of customers we have now," Cline said.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union represents most of the affected workers. IBEW business representative Sheila Lawton said the unionized employees affected by the downsizing all have between 12 and 34 years of service with the company.

"These are our neighbors, people who have lived in and given back to the Elk Grove community for years and years and tried to keep the company successful," Lawton said. "Looking at their years of service, we would have hoped for a little more consideration in trying to keep them employed."

A company statement says the displaced workers will receive severance pay and job placement service. Cline said that includes the opportunity to follow their jobs to larger Frontier call centers in Oregon and New York, if they choose to move.

The City of Elk Grove recognized Frontier with a "Best in Business" award earlier this year. "Frontier is dedicated to enhancing economic growth in California," the company's Western Regional President Denise Baumbach said at the time.