 |
||
|
|
||
| |||||||||||
Chicago's little baby has grown up Once a mere Baby Bell created from the 1984 breakup of AT&T, Chicago-based Ameritech is riding on the unpredictable wave of telecommunications deregulation. After branching out to provide local phone service, Ameritech has been expanding operations into new areas such as paging and e-mail, as well as overseas ventures in New Zealand and eastern Europe. Its SecurityLink Business is the No. 2 U.S. provider of security monitoring systems, and for telephone customers, Ameritech recently introduced Privacy Manager - a device that identifies and screens out calls from telemarketers. Analysts predict this service will make the company a bundle. As it looks forward, Ameritech aims to save $3 billion by 2002 through facility closings and layoffs. Baby + Baby = A really BIG baby In October 1999, fellow Baby Bell and West Coast phone giant SBC bought Ameritech for $62 billion, one of the largest telecom mergers to date. Ameritech kept its name in the five states it originially served, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, but the combined firm extends SBC's local service empire and lays the groundwork for a push into long-distance. San Antonio-based SBC notes that the merger launches it into the local phone business in 30 major metropolitan U.S. cities including New York, Denver, Phoenix and Atlanta. The telecommunications behemoth now boasts 59 million service lines in 13 states. Using its new resources Soon after its acquisition by SBC, Ameritech announced the formation of "Project Pronto," a $6 billion program aimed at providing DSL service to all the metropolitan areas in the five states under Ameritech's coverage. Beginning in early 2000 with 580,000 households in Wisconsin, "Project Pronto" promises to pit Ameritech and SBC against TimeWarner, which has recently increased its cable modem offerings in anticipation of its merger with AOL. SBC plans on having high-speed internet connections available to 77 million households by 2002. Certain uncertainty As is the case with any large merger or acquisition, employees of Ameritech - especially those in upper-level management - face the dillemma of moving on, or being forced out. Many chose to be forced out and accept the reportedly large severance package that came as part of the deal.
Ameritech has no centralized hiring and recruiting process; those interested in seeking employment with the company should consult its corporate Web site. A variety of positions are available throughout the Midwest, and Ameritech's helpful Web site provides links to current job postings and their appropriate contact names and addresses. Resumes and cover letters should be accompanied by the proper job code, which is provided by the Web site as well.
Despite reported conflicts between management and organized labor, Ameritech insiders describe the corporate atmosphere as "more relaxed than you would expect at a telephone company." The "business casual" dress code, for example, is "a lot more 'casual' than 'business.'" Some employees comment that they like their jobs, "but have mixed feelings about the company"; others say exactly the opposite: "I love the company, just not the job." Current employees advise new hires that Ameritech "scouts top colleges" for higher-level positions rather than promoting from within. A few also question whether there is "a glass ceiling" for women, even though the company treats women "very well at the middle management levels." The company has, however, increased its donations to minority charities by 30 percent since 1998. Unfair practices? Ameritech has recently found itself in two workplace related controversies. The first was a mandatory overtime plan for its service technicians. Technicians are responsible for the installation of new phone lines and the repair of existing lines. Ameritech has had problems keeping up with the demand for new lines, prompting the mandatory overtime. The second, more serious problem, came to light as a result of a sexual harassment complaint and the allegation that Ameritech did not do enough to stop what they knew was a problem. In fact, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, found that a hostile work environment existed at Indiana Ameritech.
Human Resources
Cable TV;Cellular phone service;Data and video integration;Directory publishing and advertising;Electronic business services;Internet access;LAN design, installation, and maintenance;Leasing;Local phone service;Long-distance phone service;Paging;Security monitoring
GTE;WorldCom More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
