Help Keep Good Call Center Jobs in the U.S.

Legislation to keep call center jobs here in the U.S. now has 75 co-sponsors, with more members of Congress expected to sign on in the next few weeks.

The bi-partisan bill bans federal grants and guaranteed loans to American companies that move call center jobs overseas and requires that the Labor Dept. maintain a list of companies that send call center jobs offshore. It also requires that customers be told the offshore location they are calling and that customers be transferred to a U.S. agent on request.

It's no surprise that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and big corporations like Verizon are opposing the bill, mainly by complaining that it would take too much time for an overseas agent to identify her- or himself.

In addition to pressing U.S. legislators to sponsor the national bill, CWA's legislative-political action teams have been building support for call center legislation in several states. Bills already have been introduced in Maryland, West Virginia and Arizona, where the entire state Democratic caucus is supporting the bill.

In Florida, the state Senate unanimously passed SB 678, the State Contracts bill, requiring all call-center service contracts with Florida valued at $35,000 or more to be staffed by agents in the U.S. Now the push is on to get a vote scheduled in the state House.

LPAT activists need your help. To ask your member of Congress to co-sponsor the U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection bill, click here.