In light of a recent report by News 12 that dozens if not hundreds of workers at the Spectrum call center in Vestal could be laid off,  U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) recently demanded answers from Christopher Winfrey, President and CEO of Spectrum.

The Spectrum call center provides hundreds of residents with job in the Southern Tier. According to the report, layoffs could come as a result of the company moving the call center out of Vestal. 

"Spectrum promised us they’d be a community partner," Molinaro said.  "This is not what that commitment should look like. Closing the Vestal call center will hurt our local economy and have an impact on customers. I’m demanding answers and am going to fight this.”

The full text of the letter can be found below:

Dear Mr. Winfrey,

I am concerned by local reports regarding the potential layoff of hundreds of employees at the Spectrum call center in Vestal, NY and what it means for the residents of Vestal and the surrounding area.

For years, the Spectrum call center in Vestal has provided hundreds of residents with jobs in a part of the country I represent, that has largely been forgotten about. This prospective action by your company to move jobs away from Vestal would only exacerbate this issue.

My office was recently made aware of the potential closure of the call center in Vestal which would lead to the layoffs of hundreds of my constituents. The elimination of hundreds of jobs at a local call center would be a significant blow to our community at a time of already high economic uncertainty.

According to reporting, employees would be offered the ability to relocate to another location hours away. I have several questions about the potential layoffs, relocation plan, and timeline that employees were notified.

1. Why are you considering closing the Vestal, NY call center location?

2. When did you first target the Vestal call center for a potential closure?

3. When did or do you plan to notify employees of the impending layoffs?

4. Will you reconsider the decision?

5. On what date would the potential closure of the Spectrum call center in Vestal be effective?

6. What are the details of the potential employee relocation offer and how long would employees have to make a decision?

7. How will the possible closure of the call center in Vestal impact local Spectrum customers and their access to services?

The closure of the Vestal call center would have rippling implications for our local workforce and beyond. I urge you to reconsider closing this call center site.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter and I look forward to your response.

[Ed. note: it would also be interesting to know what the impact of this will be on local subscribers to Spectrum.]

U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro is the congressman for New York  District 19.