CWA Techs Push Maryland Off-Shoring Ban

CWA is mobilizing support for legislation in Maryland - similar to pending bills in New Jersey and Michigan - that would ban state agencies and contractors from outsourcing information technology and call center work to other countries.

Such a bill was introduced this year by Maryland State Rep. Pauline Menes, "but it kind of flew under the radar screen - unions didn't really know about it," said Mike Blain of Seattle-based WashTech, the high-tech affiliate of The Newspaper Guild-CWA. "We'll be organizing strong support for the bill when Rep. Menes reintroduces it next January," he said.

Blain along with others from CWA and from the AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees met recently with Menes in Silver Spring, Md. to discuss the bill and also to get together with Washington, D.C.-area technology workers who have joined CWA's TechsUnite.org network.

Through the Web-based network, which was launched earlier this year, WashTech already has established high-tech organizing committees in San Jose, Calif., Boston, New York, Cleveland, and South Florida. More than 10,000 IT workers have signed up for e-mail news and action alerts through TechsUnite, said Blain, who is WashTech's editor and webmaster.

Using the network to mobilize e-mails to lawmakers, CWA lobbied successfully for senate passage of the New Jersey outsourcing ban earlier this year; the state assembly will take up the bill next month.

For more information, visit: www.techsunite.org.