More than 5,000 workers at Verizon Wireless call centers will be affected now that America’s largest mobile operator is closing five and consolidating seven more.

More than 1,000 employees in Irvine, Calif., will be among those impacted when the contact center there shuts down operations in May; however, VzW says the company’s campus there will stay open, as another 1,330 employees continue working in other departments.

"The company is closing a few call centers, and we are relocating those jobs to make best use of these open seats that we have," Ken Muche, a Verizon Wireless spokesman told the L.A. Times, saying that there are open desks at many call centers around the country.

Other call-center shutdowns will happen this spring in Pennsylvania (two), and one each in Connecticut and Ohio.

Verizon Wireless is giving $10,000 to employees who will relocate to another call center. They also have the option of applying for other company jobs or taking a severance package.

The closings impact about 3,000 workers. Another 2,200 employees will need to move to other offices in their area as Verizon Wireless consolidates operations in seven regions around the U.S.

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