New CWA Video Spotlights Personal, Not Political, Side of Off-Shoring

Washington, DC – A new video released today by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) offers an essential reminder that the offshoring of U.S. jobs  is all-too-real and personal for hundreds of thousands of American workers.

Entitled “Why Wouldn’t You,” CWA’s new video features call center workers from across the country sharing their stories about the impact of losing their jobs and its effect on their lives and families.

“This video will remind every voter of what’s at stake in the election.  These are real Americans, real jobs and real livelihoods. Our nation’s  lawmakers who claim job creation is their top priority should watch this video and either back call center legislation in the House and Senate or explain why they won’t,” said Candice Johnson, CWA Communications Director.

Among the stories in the new CWA video:

“To get that call - that in 90 days you’ll be unemployed – my whole life flashed before my eyes,” said Iceatra, a T-Mobile worker from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

“When I lost my job, I thought about my house payments, car payments, tuition,” said Perla, a another T-Mobile call center employee from Brownsville, Texas.

From 2006-2010, the U.S. call center industry - representing 3% of the U.S. workforce - lost 500,000 call center jobs.  However, CWA has worked with companies like AT&T and US Airways to ‘insource’ their call center work, and bring back thousands of good jobs to the U.S.

“To be working and have something stable at this point is wonderful,” says Lois, an AT&T Internet employee whose job was insourced to Detroit.

Derrick, an employee for AT&T National Internet Services whose job was insourced from overseas, equates the legislation to a sense of duty towards fellow Americans. “There are people here that desperately need a job. By sending them overseas, we are not doing our country justice.”

While efforts bring jobs back have yielded positive results, too many U.S. companies continue to send good jobs overseas. That’s why CWA strongly supports legislation sponsored in the House by Reps. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Dave McKinley (R-WVa) and  in the Senate by Senators Casey (D-PA) and Brown (D-OH) that would make companies that off-shore call center jobs ineligible for taxpayer funded grants and loans, and offer U.S. consumers the opportunity to be connected to a U.S. based center.  Unfortunately, the House Bill  was stalled over the summer when Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives blocked consideration of the bill.  The Senate version of the Bill has been introduced and cosponsors are signing on.

• Watch New CWA Video Here: http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/why_call_center_jobs_matter#.UE95fLJlQ2C

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Contact:  Chuck Porcari or Elizabeth Schilling, CWA Communications, 202-434-1168 cporcari@cwa-union.org or eschilling@cwa-union.org