Charter Communications pledged Sunday in a blog post that it would not lay off or furlough workers at least for the next 60 days, in response to the economic turmoil surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Charter Charter employees have stepped in and stepped up, ensuring our customers stay connected when it matters most,” Charter said in the April 19 blog post. “Our employees are our greatest resource, and to reinforce our commitment to them in this uncertain time, we are announcing that for the next 60 days no employee will be laid off or furloughed.”
Companies in every business sector have had to lay off and furlough workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. On April 19, The Walt Disney Co. stopped paying “non-essential” workers, mainly at its theme parks and consumer products divisions, to save money. According to some reports, Disney will save about $500 million by furloughing up to 100,000 workers.
Charter, which has about 95,000 workers across the country, said it is expanding call centers and creating new employment in El Paso, Texas (350 new jobs), Rotterdam N.Y. (200 new jobs) and Kansas City (185 new jobs). That news comes shortly after the company said it would raise the minimum wage for its workers from $15/hour to $20/hour over the next three years.
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The company added in the blog that it has invested nearly $40 billion over the last five years in new technology, training, tools, trucks, new call centers network upgrades, buildings, labs, product development, set top boxes, WiFi routers and modems, and news channels.
“All of this was done to provide superior customer service, the best network, and a company built for the future,” the company said.
Charter isn’t the only cable company to commit to no layoffs. Earlier in the month Mediacom Communications said it would not layoff workers at least through May 31.
