werner@rascal.ics.utexas.edu (Werner Uhrig) (12/20/90)
[ ad in WSJ of 12/18 ] Has AT&T management told you what will happen to AT&T if its acquisition of NCR succeeds? They have said they would shut down AT&T's computer operations, after NCR hand-picked the best employees. Frankly, WE are loathe to participate in that kind of a process. And we told them so. Evidently, they weren't listening to us. Perhaps they ought to hear from YOU. We told your Board and management that the combination they propose does not make sense. They simply cannot expect NCR to salvage AT&T's computer business without AT&T employees and AT&T customers and AT&T shareholders getting hurt in the process. How many AT&T employees would be disposed of? 1,000? 3,000? 5,000? Then ask yourself: Why has AT&T launched its $6.2 billion hostile takeover bid for NCR? They can arrange financing, but, in the end, WHO WILL REALLY PAY? The question is: WILL YOU ACCEPT THE CHARGES? IF NOT, LET AT&T KNOW. CALL: ....... NCR [ I told them in 1985 to buy Apple, but they wouldn't listen to me ... ] [Moderator's Note: I am sorry the phone number was not sent along with the article. I didn't remove it ... I did not receive it! Please send this number so that AT&T employees and stockholders who read the Digest can use if if they wish. PAT]
ehopper@ehpcb.wlk.com (Ed Hopper) (12/21/90)
werner@rascal.ics.utexas.edu (Werner Uhrig) writes: > [ I told them in 1985 to buy Apple, but they wouldn't listen to me ... ] There were serious discussions with Apple, and: Atari, DEC, DG, Unisys and pretty near everyone else except IBM. (Hmmm..buy IBM, combine bureaucracy and cock-eyed technology!) The DEC deal almost happened. Olsen said no deal at the end. > [Moderator's Note: I am sorry the phone number was not sent along with > the article. I didn't remove it ... I did not receive it! Please send > this number so that AT&T employees and stockholders who read the > Digest can use if if they wish. PAT] They (NCR) listed the office numbers of all AT&T board members (including the ones who are officers of other corporations and not full-time AT&T employees). I don't have the original ad, hence no phone numbers. At least two of the numbers were wrong. The press (USA Today) reported that very few (i.e., under five per board member) calls were received. The CWA is deeply involved in fighting this. Being a UNIONIZED computer company has been a massive handicap. Good people get laid off because they are young, older, former PBX installers, who often can't spell "C", are retained. After a VERY poor start, AT&T-CS management has made a major (internal) public relations effort to alleviate sagging morale in Computer Systems. The continued cheap shots from NCR, the press, and our "friends" in other AT&T departments are hard to take. We know better, but still. Last week, in an Alliance call with the Southern Region sales staff, our VP told us "We don't think every NCR employee walks on water and our people are pond scum." Last Friday, Allen, Kavner and Rich McGinn (president of Computer Systems) held a 2 1/2 hour live video teleconference with all CS employees. They aren't promising everyone a job, they are promising to be fair. One bright spot: in 1990, AT&T hired 22,000 people. Total AT&T Computer Systems employment is 7,000. There is a corporate wide restriction on hiring now in order to manage this situation. We'll see. Personally, I'm not going to worry about it. I've been through this before and it isn't worth wasting your stomach lining on. I figure that when I reach the Pearly Gates, I can say "I'm an AT&T employee who's been through divestiture and the NCR merger, I've spent my time in hell." Ed Hopper BBS: 713-997-7575 ehopper@attmail.com ehopper@ehpcb.wlk.com
wescott@ncrcae.uucp (12/23/90)
> [Moderator's Note: I am sorry the phone number was not sent along with > the article. I didn't remove it ... I did not receive it! Please send > this number so that AT&T employees and stockholders who read the > Digest can use if if they wish. PAT] In "The State" newspaper, Dec. 19 there was an article about the ads NCR was running. It seems that one of the ads suggests that AT&T employees call members of the AT&T board to express disapproval of the proposed merger. Well, number given for Walter Y. Elisha (CEO Springs Industies) was actually the number for a Mrs. Beulah A. Lee of Conway SC. An NCR spokeswoman in Dayton blamed "some fancy firm in New York" for the error. Mike Wescott mike.wescott@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM