It seems that the fight to keep American companies from outsourcing their labor has been going on ever since the country was first founded. That doesn't mean that the fight is winding down by any stretch and a new bill by United States Congressman Tim Bishop added fuel to the fire. Bishop's bill, being called the U.S. Call Center and Consumer Protection Act would bar American companies from moving their call centers overseas. Bishop says that his bill has now attracted 106 co-sponsors thanks in large part to horror stories about call centers in the Philippines and India.
The 100 co-sponsors of the bill are actually more than just a way for Congressman Bishop to thump his chest. That particular number is usually looked at as important when it comes to getting a committee hearing for a bill. That hearing is the first step towards passage. One report that spurred Bishop to take action on this issue comes from an Australian television report where a customer says they were told their $557 mobile phone bill would be reduced to $99 if they were willing to pay the call center employee they were talking to a $60 bribe.
Another story by British reporters showed a huge amount of personal data being bought and sold in a network of Indian call centers. The data has ranged from medical and personal information to credit card and other financial information. That kind of complete control over one's finances from hundreds of miles away gives Bishop pause. “These recent reports of theft and misuse of sensitive information from British and Australian customers of Asian call centers are deeply disturbing, and it is impossible to believe that the financial and medical information of Americans has not been similarly compromised,” Bishop said.
The bill would have the Department of Labor track companies that move their call centers overseas. These companies that do set up overseas call centers would then be prohibited from receiving direct or indirect federal loans for five years. The bill also requires overseas call center employees to tell callers where they are located and would force call centers to transfer the call to a US center if the caller requests.