Law Would Ban Federal Funds for Offshoring Call Center Jobs

Bipartisan Bill Also Provides for Important Consumer Protections

Companies that send U.S. call center jobs overseas would suffer financial consequences and risk their customers' loyalty under the provisions of a bipartisan bill introduced this week in the House of Representatives.

The CWA-supported bill would ban federal grants and loan guarantees for companies that offshore call center jobs, and it would require call center workers to disclose their location to customers upon request.

Exporting call center jobs "is one of the scourges of our economy and one of the reasons we are struggling to knock down the unemployment rate," said Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.), who introduced the bill with Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.).

"It's common sense that we should not be rewarding companies that ship jobs overseas while millions of qualified Americans are looking for work," Bishop said on a conference call with reporters Dec. 7. "Taxpayer dollars should only be used to incentivize good corporate citizens who create American jobs."

In addition to barring federal loans and grants for companies that send call center jobs overseas, the bill requires overseas workers to tell customers where their call center is located and, if requested, transfer customers back to a call center in the United States.

Ron Collins, CWA chief of staff, said corporate greed was driving the push to send more call center jobs offshore. "CWA members and activists will work hard for passage of this important legislation."

"This bill is exactly what we need now," said Mike Gendron, CWA Local 1108 executive vice president and political coordinator. He told reporters that his local has lost more than 500 jobs to offshoring.

"Our economy needs quality jobs, our community needs quality jobs, working families need quality jobs," Gendron said. "Too many companies like Verizon, which employs many of my local's members, offshore jobs and outsource work to the detriment of workers, consumers and communities."

When companies do the right thing and return jobs, workers, consumers and communities gain, CWA Local 3640 President Vonda Hardy said. Hardy said CWA's contract with US Airways required the return of offshored jobs to the U.S.; last month, another 400 jobs were returned from the Philippines.

"We know that customers are pleased, because they tell us so," Hardy said. "It's good for US Airways, good for quality customer service and good for quality jobs."

Click here to urge Congress to pass the bill and save and restore American call center jobs.