GTE Continues Downsizing

Ventura County’s largest private employer, Thousand Oaks-based GTE California, will continue the downsizing that has reduced about 1,000 jobs annually from its payroll over the past dozen years, but it’s too early to tell how many positions will be lost this year.

As it has in the past, GTE will try to avoid layoffs while paring its labor costs in 1993.

“We will try to reduce our work force through attrition and voluntary separation programs,” says Larry Sparrow, president of GTE Telephone Operations-West Area. “Involuntary reductions would be used only as a last resort.”

GTE, which, along with its affiliates, has 4,500 employees in Ventura County, has maintained a cost-cutting campaign for several years. The company, which employs about 14,000 workers throughout the state, is a unit of GTE Corp. of Stamford, Conn.

GTE California will spend about $461 million this year to upgrade its infrastructure, Sparrow said in announcing a “Winning Edge” business plan. The plan includes $37 million for continued expansion of fiber-optic technology in Southern California.

This will include a fiber-optic project in Newbury Park. Starting in June, GTE expects to provide fiber-optic service to the Shapell Development, containing business parks, schools, 800 houses and 400 condominiums.

“The people who get that service will receive the sharpest, most reliable communications technology available anywhere,” said spokesman Larry Cox.

GTE California contends to be the first local phone company in the nation to carry customer calls on fiber optics. In addition to such service in West Los Angeles, Ontario and Long Beach, the firm has installed 60,000 miles of fiber cable throughout the state.

Like other communications concerns, GTE hopes to build fiber networks that will deliver video entertainment, home shopping and other services.