"Right to Know" Bill Could Save, Restore U.S. Call Center Jobs

If U.S. companies had to tell you they were transferring your customer service call overseas, would those employers think twice about offshoring their call centers?

That’s the idea driving a call center “right to know” bill, long championed by CWA and sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). He is expected to introduce an updated version of the bill in the 112th Congress next year.

“If we want to put a stop to the offshoring of American jobs, then we need to provide incentives for American companies to keep American jobs here,” Schumer said. “This bill will not only serve to maintain call center jobs currently in the United States, but also provide a reason for companies that have already sent jobs overseas to bring them back.”

When the bill is updated for the new Congress, it is expected to include right to know language for online chat support that is done overseas. That’s because many companies now have pop-up boxes on their websites that offer instant messaging with a customer service representative.

To further discourage offshoring, CWA and Schumer’s staff are exploring a possible excise tax on companies for every call or chat transferred to foreign call centers. Also, U.S. companies would be required to disclose quarterly, and in their annual reports, how many customer service calls they received, and how many are sent overseas.

CWA leaders say saving American call center jobs benefits customers as well as workers. “Our customer service professionals in telecom, the public sector, newspapers and at other employers have the training and experience to determine the best way to help their customers,” CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill said.

For those companies that still decide to offshore call centers, CWA is working to ensure that any call center bill includes language protecting customers from identity theft and other security breaches. “We are looking at how U.S. privacy laws can be applied to foreign call centers, and how we can ensure that employees are screened and monitored,” said CWA Legislative Director Shane Larson.