Congress Must Act to Protect U.S. Call Center Jobs

CWA-backed legislation that puts pressure on corporations to stop sending call center jobs overseas continues to gain momentum. Two major publications, PennLive in Harrisburg, Pa., and Lehigh Valley Live in Easton, Pa., published CWA District 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney's op-ed calling for lawmakers to support CWA-backed federal legislation to protect call center jobs. The piece highlights how Wells Fargo harmed Pennsylvania communities by recently laying off 700 U.S. call center workers, including 460 call center workers in Bethlehem, Pa.

Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Bob Casey has introduced the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, which would make U.S. companies that offshore their call center jobs ineligible for certain taxpayer funded grants and loans. The bill would give U.S. consumers a right to know where they are calling and to be transferred to a U.S.-based location, and create a public list of companies that offshore call center jobs.

This legislation is especially important in light of the recently passed Republican corporate tax cut bill which gives companies even more incentives to send jobs overseas.