Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Senator Brown Backs Bill to Protect U.S. Call Center Jobs

Sept 19, 2012 -- U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is throwing his weight behind a new law to protect call center jobs.

On Wednesday, Brown announced he is supporting legislation that could help keep jobs in the U.S.? including the 198,000 jobs in Ohio ? by requiring that consumers be notified when their calls are being transferred abroad. The idea is that by requiring companies to disclose when their calls are being transferred abroad, businesses could be encouraged to keep their call centers jobs here in the United States.

The new law also would prevent companies that send call center jobs overseas from getting federal grants and loans.

"We should reward American workers and American companies that remain loyal to creating jobs in our communities," Brown said, in a statement.

He cites estimates from the Communications Workers of America that Ohio saw a net loss of 2,330 call center jobs between 2008 and 2011.

Known as the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2012, the law would:

? Require companies to disclose to callers when their calls are transferred abroad;

? Make businesses that move call center jobs overseas ineligible for federal grants and loans;

? Direct the Department of Labor to make a public list of such companies;

? Employers would remain on list for three years after each relocation; and

? Require agencies, including Department of Defense, to give preference to U.S. employers that do not appear on the list.

"Most Ohioans that have had to call a major company for a service repair or to get an answer about their cable bill have ended up speaking with a worker in a different time zone, on a different continent," Brown said. "When companies send call center jobs overseas, they don?t just frustrate consumers?they hurt our economy as well. With thousands of Ohioans looking for work, it just doesn?t make sense to ship these jobs overseas."

According to a Communications Workers of America analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, 198,450 Ohioans were employed in call center occupations such as switchboard operators, telephone operators, bill collectors and customer service representatives.

Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com

Source: http://www.contactcenterworld.com/view/contact-center-news/senator-brown-backs-bill-to-protect-u.s.-call-center-jobs.aspx

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