US intros call centre worker protection Bill

Less than a month after the US House of Representatives decided to not bring the US Call Centre Worker and Consumer Protection Act to a vote, a similar Bill was introduced into the US Senate, DestinationCRM.com says.

Senator Bob Casey has introduced S.3402, a companion Bill to the US Call Centre and Worker Protection Act, in the US Senate.

Among other provisions, the legislation would ban companies that offshore American call centre jobs from receiving federal loans, grants or subsidies for five years.

“Companies that outsource their call centres overseas shouldn't see the benefits of government grants and loans,” Casey said in a statement. “Keeping call centre jobs in Pennsylvania is good for our workers and our economy, and my Bill will send a clear signal that outsourcing jobs will not be rewarded.”

US Republican Charlie Dent, and his Democratic opponent, Rick Daugherty, are trading barbs over the loss of call centre jobs in the US, Lehighvalley Live says.

Daugherty, chairman of the Lehigh County Democratic Committee, said he wants Dent to sign on as a co-sponsor of the US Call Centre Worker and Consumer Protection Act.

The Act makes companies that move call centres overseas ineligible for federal grants or loans and allows callers to talk to call centre employees in the US, if requested.

Daugherty said the Act is especially important in light of the recent closure of the T-Mobile call centre, in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, that resulted in the loss of 605 local jobs.

He said he's disappointed Dent didn't vote for the call centre Act to be brought to the floor during a procedural motion on 19 June.