National Black Church Initiative supports AT&T’s job creation for Americans, congratulates AT&T on its efforts

 

Washington DC – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans dedicated to the eradication of racial disparities around the world, is urging all religious communities to join together in the promotion of peace. Our Black leadership partners – 66,000 churches nationwide – are called upon to use the full force of our combined 100,000 churches to draw attention to the imperative of generating job growth and economic development in African American communities throughout the United States.  We intend to use the full weight of our collective wealth and political might both domestically and globally to bring attention to this problem.

 

As a first step in this campaign, the National Black Church Initiative will support AT&T commitment, as part of its proposed merger with T-Mobile, to bring back 5,000 call center jobs to the United States from overseas and to create more than 90,000 new jobs nationwide.

Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the NBCI, declared that “AT&T is a company that will help the African American community reduce its persistently high unemployment rate, which now stands at 16.7%. This is why we have authorized over 100,000 churches to be supportive of AT&T and, indeed, any company that will help solve our community’s unemployment crisis.”

Rev. Evans furthers stated, “This commitment is welcome, especially in a time of prolonged and profound economic insecurity. Jobs are imperative for our survival and as paramount in their importance as education and healthcare.”

AT&T’s repatriation of 5,000 call center jobs would be the largest return of jobs by any U.S. company since the economic crisis began in 2008. At a time when economic patriotism on the part of American corporations has become passé, this initiative by AT&T is remarkable and must be encouraged. Rev. Sheldon Williams, Pastor of Co-Op City Baptist Church in Bronx, NY said “I will fight for any company that will bring jobs to my community and one of the very few that’s doing it is AT&T.  Rev. Mark McCleary, Chairman of NBCI Ministerial Alliance, declared that “My congregation is suffering. We have over 500 of our congregants unemployed. We need jobs and we need them NOW.”

While the repatriation of 5,000 jobs is highly noteworthy, this is not all that AT&T is doing. AT&T is already the nation’s largest employer of full-time union employees and the only unionized major U.S. wireless carrier.  According to a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute, its proposed merger with T-Mobile would create between 55,000 and 96,000 new jobs to integrate the two networks and upgrade facilities, and provide services made possible by the universal high speed network AT&T will be able to create if its merger with T-Mobile is approved. AT&T will invest $8 billion to build out its wireless high speed network to 55 million more Americans – thus reaching a total of 97% of the U.S. population.    

AT&T has long been a leader in employing qualified African Americans in top positions. Workforce Diversity for Engineering and IT Magazine has ranked AT&T in its top 12 of the nation’s employers for its commitment to diversity. Hispanic Business Magazine ranks it first for diversity. In fact, employees of diverse backgrounds make up 38 percent of AT&T’s workforce and 31 percent of its management ranks.

Due to AT&T’s patriotism in bringing jobs back to the United States, its demonstrated willingness to invest in the infrastructure of this country and its commitment to diversity, the NCBI encourages the Administration to approve the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA expeditiously.   

About NBCI

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 34,000 churches working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches and the public. NBCI offers faith-based, out-of-the box and cutting edge solutions to stubborn economic and social issues. NBCI’s programs are governed by credible statistical analysis, science based strategies and techniques, and methods that work. Visit our website at www.naltblackchurch.com.