ATLANTA - Nearly five-thousand BellSouth employees have volunteered to take severance packages and leave the Atlanta operation by the end of the month. <br>
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Officials say the strong response to the severance offer means fewer than 30 people will be forced to take pink slips from the telecommunications firm. In May, the company announced plans to cut about six percent from its work force. <br>
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U.S. telecom companies have laid off more than 500,000 employees during the past three years. <br>
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The latest round of cuts will shave BellSouth's work force to about 80,000.
