Casey Pushes Bill in Allentown to Protect Call Center Jobs
ALLENTOWN, PA - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today pushed legislation to make businesses that move call center jobs overseas ineligible for federal funding such as grants or loans to protect call center jobs in the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania.
“Companies that outsource their call centers overseas shouldn’t see the benefits of government grants and loans,” Senator Casey said. “Keeping call center jobs in the Lehigh Valley is good for our workers and our economy, and passing my bill will send a clear signal that outsourcing jobs will not be rewarded.”
Thousands of call center jobs have been relocated overseas, and Senator Casey today heard directly from a local resident impacted by the offshoring.
Senator Casey’s bill, the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, will fight the offshoring trend by preventing companies from taking taxpayer money only to turn around and cut jobs in the United States.
Specifically, the bill would:
- Make businesses that move call center jobs overseas ineligible for federal grants or loans;
- Direct the Department of Labor to make a public list of such companies; Employers 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.
Call centers are an important source of jobs all across Pennsylvania, and the legislation that Senator Casey has introduced adds to his long record fighting against the outsourcing of American jobs. He opposed recent free trade agreements that could put Pennsylvania manufacturing jobs at risk, pushed legislation that has passed the Senate to crack down on Chinese currency manipulation that puts American businesses at a disadvantage, and led the effort on Trade Adjustment Assistance, which passed the Senate and was signed into law, to help workers who lost their jobs due to unfair foreign trade gain skills to find new work.
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