Offshoring Bill Has 51 Co-Sponsors, With More Signing On

As of this week, 51 House members have signed on to co-sponsor the U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, H.R. 3596.

The offshoring bill was a big focus of CWA activists on Capitol Hill last week, as they met with members of Congress and staff to build support for legislation to stop rewarding companies that move good jobs overseas.

The bill's original sponsors are Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Dave McKinley (R-WVa.)

It bars companies that send call center jobs overseas from receiving federal grants and guaranteed loans and requires the Department of Labor to maintain a list of these companies.

It also requires that workers in overseas call centers disclose their name and physical location, and gives U.S. consumers the right to be transferred to a customer service agent in the U.S.