Hundreds og jobs coming to Bristol, Tn. (Lebanon, Gray: section 8, rent) - Kingsport - Johnson City - Bristol - Tennessee (TN) -The Tri-Cities area - City-Data Forum

BP72 · 08-30-2012, 05:03 PM

Just whats needed around here. Another Call Center. /sarcasm

New business coming to Touchstone Wireless building in Bristol | WJHL.com

kamoshika · 08-30-2012, 05:50 PM

A bit more info here: U.S. Solutions Group, Inc. To Open Call Center in Bristol, Tenn., Create Over 500 Jobs - MFRTech

From the research I've done, it looks like most employees will make an average of $10-11/hour and receive a semi-decent benefits package.

This is a mixed bag of news, IMO. While low-wage service jobs are better than no jobs at all, of course, retail establishments and call centers will never provide the kind of economic & employment boost we really need in our region.

BP72 · 08-30-2012, 05:56 PM

Manufacturing is badly needed. Still hoping Siemens Plant comes though in JC. How many call centers are around now. Bristol, Va with Sprint I think. Citi on Gray, TN. 2 in JC? AM I missing any?

jchometeam · 08-30-2012, 06:10 PM

I cant believe the consistent complaining about jobs since they arent high paying. Every employer that comes here, people fuss that it isnt $30/hour. Bottom line, they are jobs and will decrease the unemployment rate, dependancy on government, and strain on charities. Just as importantly, they give young people jobs which would otherwise sit at home or get into trouble.

utvols21 · 08-30-2012, 08:46 PM

I agree since when is a $10 an hr job BAD news. That swhats wrong with people these days they expect everything to be handed to them and most its not worth getting paid $10 an hr when they are getting $900 a month in food stamps section 8 paid rent and other assistance so in a way its hard to blame them but in another way im tired of keeping them up. Sorry im off my soap box now! But to add i think this is great for our area who cares if its call center work its not a bad job you sit at a desk and answer incoming calls. Hope it does well!!

Serious Conversation · 08-31-2012, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utvols21

I agree since when is a $10 an hr job BAD news. That swhats wrong with people these days they expect everything to be handed to them and most its not worth getting paid $10 an hr when they are getting $900 a month in food stamps section 8 paid rent and other assistance so in a way its hard to blame them but in another way im tired of keeping them up. Sorry im off my soap box now! But to add i think this is great for our area who cares if its call center work its not a bad job you sit at a desk and answer incoming calls. Hope it does well!!

It's bad news because $10-$11/hr, even with two incomes, isn't enough to maintain a decent standard of living for single adults, much less with kids. This salary is fine for a college kid putting themselves through school or as a second job, but a self-supporting adult at this level of income is probably going to still be getting government benefits of some type - they often won't make enough to cover even a minimal level of expenses.

I'm as conservative as they come, but you're wrong - not everyone wants something handed to them. A lot of people would love the opportunity to have made a living wage here in the Tri-Cities ($15-$16/hr +), but even with a college degree and industry experience, couldn't make ends meet.

I also realize you've never worked in a call center. When someone calls a call center, something isn't working, they were overcharged, etc. They already have an issue, and once they've had to sit on hold awhile, they're good and pissed off. People generally act much worse on the phone than they would in person. In a call center, you're tied to the headset for eight hours a day, can't just get up and go to the bathroom, have no flexibility in lunch/break times, and are constantly having management breathe down your neck to make your "metrics." I understand there are far worse jobs around, but call center agents are often subjected to customer abuse in a high-pressure, low pay environment where the work is meaningless.

Not directed to person above: CGI and Northrop Grumman both located to Lebanon VA several years ago. I know both of those companies have strong ties to NoVA, but why couldn't Bristol VA make a strong effort to get these companies to locate closer to the TRI instead of way out in the middle of nowhere? Heaven knows they're willing to spend the money on luring low wage, low skill retail (Cabela's), so why not try to get some professionals to come?. Auto plants have opened up in other parts of TN and the South, yet east TN can't get a piece of that action. Google or Apple (maybe both) recently opened a data center in rural NC. I know of several firms that have either recently relocated or are in the process of relocating back-office IT operations from high cost to low cost areas. There are so many projects out there that would both pay better and have a higher quality of life than call center and retail work that local and state governments can't seem to attract to this area.

Two friends of mine got their masters at ETSU this spring - one in education (with no related experience) and one in computer science (with several years related experience). The education guy got on as a high school teacher within a few weeks, but yet the CS guy can't find anything and is probably having to relocate. We need the computer scientists, not more teachers. This area has its priorities all backwards and continuing to attract this low end service work without also getting higher end jobs proves local government has learned nothing and is content continuing to go down the wrong way.

jchometeam · 08-31-2012, 03:59 AM

First, I dont think anyone would argue that ideally we would have a job announcement of 500+ jobs making 75-100k/year. But obviously those are hard to come by. Its also true that we would love to diversify into more manufacturing, etc.

But its also true that these types of jobs, as well as the retail jobs- are valuable. I know many people with college degrees here (even masters) who are waiting tables or working in retail because it pays more than what they could find within their major locally (if they could find anything). And doing some rough math, two adults working at this call center is not that much lower than the average family income for Tennesseans- which i realize is a skewed number anyway but still.

With this kind of job it will be difficult for a family which both adults work in the similar pay scale to buy a house, get a fancy new car, etc. But we are not guaranteed these things. Its better than nothing, obviously they are able to fill these jobs which means the demand is there. As long as an employer is filling a need, people are willing to work in that environment for that wage, etc., this is a good job for those people.

Finally, dont discount the value of having jobs for college kids. It teaches them real life skills, prepares them for the job market when they get out, increases their interpersonal skills, decreases the amount of debt that they have when they get out, etc. Are any of these bad things for society?

Instead of fussing about what we dont have, we need to be grateful that companies like this are willing to locate to our area and fill the needs that they fill, rather than locating elsewhere.

BP72 · 08-31-2012, 04:46 AM

My thing is not the pay of the jobs... it is the type of jobs. All this area seems to be attracting is service industries. Without a variation it puts things out of balance. For those in the Blue Collar fields, you have limited choices. You might as well look at leaving the area unless you can get in with Eastman. When it is time for me to graduate from NE State with an Industrial program, I might as well prepare to look out of the area... possibly out of the State even, for the job search. Thats why I am really hoping for good news from Siemens.

For those graduating every year from ETSU, 4 years of school with Call Centers and Retail around, not much incentive for them to stick around. You will lose the talent and fresh trained workforce.

jchometeam · 08-31-2012, 07:01 AM

I will completely agree with that. We do lose alot of talent due to lack of opportunity. I believe that the most important thing is diversity in jobs, which we do lack in. We have many examples of the devestation that areas which were too dependant upon manufacturing jobs, I think we need to be careful not to do the same being overexposed to service jobs

utvols21 · 08-31-2012, 07:24 AM

Yes i have worked in a call center for about 5 years total in my lifetime. yes its not an easy job where you can do what you want to at any time you want to. Honestly i dont think i have ever seen a job like that most all jobs have staggered lunch breaks for coverage wether its a manufacturing job or any other service industry job. Its not a GREAT 50,000 a year job which i agree we do need more of in this area, but it is jobs that are coming to this area just like JCHOMETEAM stated. I would love to see more diversity but also you can look at this way its not a min wage job flipping burgers it is a decent paying job. Its more than min wage but i guarantee that they will have trouble hiring because people would rather sit at home than make $10 an hr. Well you know what so would I but i have a job to go to everyday and am thankful for that and i will continune to show up and not live of the govt and other taxpayers.