Comcast Fired Hundreds of Workers Before Christmas Alongside Pledge to Give $1,000 'Trump Tax Cut' Bonuses

GettyImages-488783216
As many as 500 salespeople were reportedly pulled into offices and informed they would be fired two weeks before Christmas. Getty

Just two weeks before Christmas, hundreds of Comcast door-to-door salespeople were called into company offices and fired from their jobs, it has emerged, just after the telecommunications giant announced it would be giving out $1,000 bonuses to staffers thanks to a major tax cut.

The firings are reported to have occurred around the same time AT&T announced it would laying off and firing nearly 600 workers, also right before Christmas. Unlike the bonuses, the layoffs were not announced, but instead gleaned from documents seen by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com.

Comcast spokesperson Jenni Moyer told Newsweek: "Periodically, we reorganize groups of employees and adjust our sales tactics and talent.

"This change in the Central Division is an example of this practice and occurred in the context of our adding hundreds of frontline and sales employees. All these employees were offered generous severance and an opportunity to apply for other jobs at Comcast," she said.

Newsweek has also reached out to the Communications Workers of America union for comment.

As many as 500 Comcast managers, supervisors and salespeople based in Chicago, Florida and other areas saw their jobs terminated around December 15, according to the documents viewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. A Florida employee, who asked not to be identified, also corroborated the reports to journalists.

Fired employees were told that the telecommunications company was reorganizing its direct sales force so that they could focus on covering larger neighborhoods, Philly.com reported.

Read more: AT&T announces thousands of layoffs, firings just in time for Christmas

News of the job losses comes just after Comcast announced it would be giving out $1,000 bonuses to full-time employees in response to the Trump administration's tax cut slashing corporate tax rates.

The company said in late December it would be giving out $1,000 bonuses to full-time employees. It has reportedly said fired employees will be eligible for a "1,000 supplemental severance payment."

AT&T is also currently in the process of laying off and firing as many as 600 workers after claiming it would be investing another $1 billion in response to the corporate tax cut.

The Communications Workers of America union has launched a lawsuit against the telecommunications giant, reportedly filed December 30, charging that the "arbitrarily" chosen notification dates of mid-December, also around two weeks before Christmas, represent an "extraordinary act of corporate cruelty."

The union did not immediately respond to whether former Comcast workers plan to follow suit.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Chantal Da Silva is Chief Correspondent at Newsweek, with a focus on immigration and human rights. She is a Canadian-British journalist whose work ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go