Senators Prepare New Bill to Preserve Call Center Jobs After No Response from Trump

Aaron Pressman

<p>A group of Democratic lawmakers is introducing a bill to discourage companies from moving call center jobs overseas, after receiving no reply from the Trump White House to a letter calling for presidential action.</p><div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">
<p>The legislation is expected to be similar to a bill Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced in 2013 that would have required disclosure of a call center location to consumers, along with the option to transfer to a domestic call center. The prior bill also required the Department of Labor to publicly report companies that relocated call center operations overseas.</p>
<p>Casey and six other Democratic senators <a href="https://fortune.com/2017/01/25/lawmakers-trump-call-center-jobs/">sent a letter to President Donald Trump</a> last month seeking an executive order to help preserve call center jobs by banning federal contractors from offshoring such posts.</p>
<p>But the group has not received a response from the administration, and is moving forward with a legislative strategy, an aide to Casey said.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><em><a href="https://fortune.com/getdatasheet/">Get Data Sheet</a>, </em>Fortune&#8217;s<em> technology newsletter.</em></p>
<p>Preserving these jobs has been an increasing focus of labor union activity. The issue was one of <a href="https://fortune.com/2016/05/12/verizon-strike-armed-confrontation-philippines/">the core disputes</a> in the bitter, seven-week strike by Verizon (VZ) workers last year, which was settled only after the telecom giant promised to stop outsourcing unionized call center jobs. The issue <a href="https://fortune.com/2017/01/24/att-union-workers-protest/">was also raised this year</a> by <a href="https://fortune.com/company/att/" target="_blank">AT&amp;T</a> (T) workers negotiating a new contract.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><div class="vodvideocontainer" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="//fortune.com/videos/embed/cb38910b-4424-4e53-a313-510a12056762" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p>
<p>Trump&#8217;s focus so far has largely been on <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-attacks-on-outsourcing-put-companies-on-guard-1485167401">manufacturing</a> jobs, as he criticized moves such as Ford&#8217;s (F) plans to <a href="https://fortune.com/2017/01/03/ford-cancels-mexico-plant-trump/">build a new plant in Mexico</a> and <a href="https://fortune.com/2016/11/30/donald-trump-carrier-deal-jobs/">Carrier&#8217;s plan to move some jobs</a> there, too. But service sector jobs have also been leaving the country, the senators noted.</p>
<p>In addition to Casey, the January letter was also signed by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Joe Manchin (D-West Va.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.).</p>
<p>&#8220;We are writing today to strongly encourage you to not only focus on bringing back manufacturing jobs, but service sector jobs as well; in particular customer service and call center jobs,&#8221; the senators wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided to <em>Fortune.</em></p>
<p>&#8220;We urge you to take executive action and to support legislation to help protect and bring call center jobs back to the United States.&#8221;</p></div>

Democrats are introducing a bill to discourage companies from offshoring call center jobs after a letter to President Donald Trump.

A Call Center Jobs Bill Is Prepared After No Reply from Trump

legacy

Outsourcing

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They had asked the White House to take executive action.

A Call Center Jobs Bill Is Prepared After No Reply from Trump | Fortune

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