Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire
Last day for AT&T workers is Nov. 19
About 80 outgoing employees at AT&T Corp.'s consumer telemarketing center in Honolulu's Waterfront Plaza received official notice of the closure of their facility and severance information yesterday following the company's decision to de-emphasize its residential phone services.The telemarketing and billing personnel were informed about the layoffs and closure last week, but the 60-day notification period didn't go into effect until yesterday. The laid-off workers' last payday will be Nov. 19.
AT&T, which laid off about 70 employees from the same center in July, said the downsizing became necessary after a regulatory decision made it more expensive for it to lease lines from local telephone providers, such as Verizon Hawaii.
About 300 AT&T workers remain in Hawaii, serving businesses and the military.
Signature Theatres sale to close
The pending purchase of Signature Theatres, which has four cinemas in Hawaii, faces no objection from federal antitrust officials and is expected to close later this year, said Regal Entertainment Group, the prospective buyer.Regal announced in April that it plans to buy California-based Signature Theatres as part of a larger deal worth $226 million. The Hawaii theaters involved include Signature Dole Cannery, the Windward Stadium, Pearl Highlands and the Keauhou 7 complex on the Big Island.
