Posted on 03-Aug-07 by The Timekeeper

On August 1, 2007, Dell announced the closure of its Roseberg OR call center, effective immediately. The move put more than 200 call center employees out of work.

According to some workers, they received only a few minutes’ notice the center was closing. They say they were called into meetings, told to turn in their badges and given a half hour (or less) to gather their belongings and vacate the building. Joe Van Dam, the former call center manager, stated employees were given “generous” severance packages and will be offered training on interviewing and resume building-skills and help with job placement.

Now, as it happens, seven current and former Roseburg call center employees filed a lawsuit against the company in February, claiming violation of federal wage and hour laws. According to the website of a law firm associated with the case:

Examples of the unlawful practices claimed include: (1) requiring employees to work “off the clock” by not paying for work performed pre-shift, post-shift, and over unpaid meal breaks; (2) utilizing an inherently inaccurate time-keeping system called “Kronos;” and (3) improperly calculating overtime using a “half-time” overtime rate.

The law firm site further notes that workers are seeking class-action status for their suit and that the attorneys are investigating wage and hour practices at Dell’s other US-based call centers. That lawsuit has not yet been resolved.

In comments posted to newspaper The News-Review’s website, locals speculated that it was either expired tax incentives or the lawsuit — or both — that led to Dell’s abrupt departure from town.

Dell spokesman David Frink was quoted in the newspaper article as saying, “It’s part of a series of changes that we’re making across the company to simplify and enhance the efficiency of the business and provide better value,” adding that — although this call center was the only such center in the entire country that was closed — the closure had nothing to do with the lawsuit. According to Frink, this is simply one phase of Dell’s plans — announced at the end of May — to reduce employment worldwide by 10 percent.

Uhmm, okay. Whatever.

So, what do you think? Is it simply coincidence that this one call center is — so far — the only one closed? Or is this a case of “tit for tat” for the lawsuit?

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