U.S. Cellular will layoff 4,100 employees nationwide, including in Wisconsin, when it is acquired by T-Mobile, according to a a national Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter filed by U.S. Cellular.
However, many of the laid off employees will be offered jobs with T-Mobile.
The layoffs include employees across California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington state, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
T-Mobile announced last year it was acquiring U.S. Cellular’s wireless operations and about 30 percent of its spectrum portfolio for $4.4 billion. The deal is expected to be finalized in the next few months pending regulatory approval
According to the federal WARN notice, the layoffs will begin June 2. The notice lists all of the corporate-owned stores in Wisconsin as layoff locations. In the letter, US Cellular states that it reached an agreement with T-Mobile for the majority of the employees to receive an employment offer from T-Mobile “at a salary or wage rate and with benefits, that when taken as a whole, are no less favorable to these employees current salary or wage rate and benefits.”
No WARN notice has been filed with the state of Wisconsin.
U.S. Cellular has about 4.4 million customers and will continue to own some of its towers and spectrum. It will enter into lease agreements with T-Mobile for some tower space.
