WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-W.Va.), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Sharice Davids (D-KS) introduced the United States Call Center and Consumer Protection Act - the bipartisan bill would discourage companies from shipping American jobs overseas and incentivize them to locate in the U.S.
The bill creates a public list of companies that ship their call center work overseas. Being on the list would make these actors ineligible for federal grants or guaranteed loans. The bill would require overseas call centers to disclose their locations to customers and would require them to comply with U.S. consumers’ request to be transferred to a service agent physically located in the U.S.
“We must do whatever we can to protect American jobs and deter companies from sending good-paying jobs overseas,” said Representative Fitzpatrick. “I am proud to support the bipartisan United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2021, which will prevent businesses that have sent call center work overseas from accessing federal grants and also provide transparency for consumers across the country.”
“Protecting jobs and making it easier for people to get back to work should be Congress’ top priority,” said Congressman McKinley. “Plain and simple, we should not reward companies for moving jobs offshore. This bill does not mandate that companies keep call centers here in America, but simply says if you move call center jobs offshore, you don’t receive funding from the government. Businesses are free to make the choice, but consumers should have the right to know where the calls they receive are being made.”
“Creating and protecting American jobs is vital to our nation’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why we must stop companies from offshoring our jobs so they can profit from exploiting cheap labor overseas,” Congressman Mark Pocan said. “The U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act will help keep jobs in the U.S. by making companies who send call center and service jobs to foreign countries ineligible for federal grants or loans. Most importantly, this bill stands up for our workers and ensures we are prioritizing America’s economic growth.”
“Last year made it clearer than ever that we need to be doing everything we can to incentivize companies to hire American workers. A strong economic recovery starts here at home—and the bipartisan Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act is a smart, commonsense step towards that goal,” said Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03). “This bill says that if a company offshores their call center jobs, they shouldn’t receive government funding. It’s a simple step that will help protect jobs in Kansas and across the country.”
“CWA applauds Senators Casey, Brown and Cortez-Masto, and Representatives Fitzpatrick, McKinley, Pocan, and Davids, for their efforts to hold corporate interests accountable to their promises to invest in our communities and create good jobs in the call center industry. It’s long past time that Congress finally listened to workers' concerns about offshoring and joined the movement to do something about it., said Dan Mauer, Director of Government Affairs for Communications Workers of America “By way of the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, we can protect jobs that are here in the U.S., ensure companies adhere to standards that empower all American workers, and put an end to the brazen exploitation of our sisters and brothers overseas.”
In the last decade, there has been an increase in companies relocating their call centers overseas, taking away jobs from American workers.
Click here for the full text of the bill.
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