CWAers Testify in Support of Call Center Legislation

Three CWAers testified at an Illinois General Assembly hearing this week in support of legislation to protect Illinois call center jobs.

Holly Sorey, President of CWA Local 4202; Dea Polchow, Executive Vice President of CWA Local 4202; and Celia Cody, Illinois CWA Staff Representative spoke at the hearing about how call centers are an important economic lifeline for many communities in Illinois and across the country. But thousands of call center workers have lost their jobs in recent years as major corporations, such as AT&T and Capital One, have offshored customer service operations to cheaper markets overseas. This trend has harmed working families and communities in Illinois and across America, while endangering consumer security and hurting customer service.

The Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, sponsored by State Representative Mike Halpin, would create a list of companies that move call centers out of the state and make these offshoring companies ineligible for certain tax preferences and grants and loans for five years. The bill would also require state agency contracts for call center services be performed entirely within the state of Illinois.

Left to right: Executive Vice President of Local 4202, Dea Polchow; Andre Ross, Skyler Martin, and Aaron Beckman show their support for legislation to protect Illinois call center jobs.