Cablevision to lay off 86 telemarketers in Jericho

Cablevision Systems Corp. will lay off 86 telemarketing employees in November, the company said in a filing with New York State.

The Bethpage-based cable company, which owns Newsday, said Thursday in a state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing that the workers are based in Jericho, where they take calls from customers interested in cable TV products.

The notice said the layoff will be effective Nov. 7.

A company spokeswoman released a statement Thursday evening saying the jobs were being eliminated in a consolidation of three similar sales locations into two, with those in the Bronx and New Jersey to remain open. "This action will help us to deliver a more consistent and superior customer experience," the statement said.

Cablevision's Jericho office employs a large number of workers in various other departments who weren't affected, the spokeswoman said, but a precise number wasn't immediately available.