Bill seeks to keep call center jobs

Democratic state lawmakers took the stage alongside Communications Workers of America union members to introduce a Senate bill intended to protect roughly 170,000 call center jobs in Ohio and penalize employers who outsource to foreign agencies.

Sens. Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, and Joe Schiavoni, D-Boardman, introduced the Consumer Protection Call Center Act of 2017.

The bill would require the Department of Job and Family Services to create a list of employers that outsource call center jobs and penalize those outsourcing businesses by barring them from state grants, loans and benefits.

Schiavoni outlined the teeth of Senate Bill 156. The bill, nearly identical to two failed bills proposed during the last legislative session, would penalize outsourcing companies who fail to notify the state of their plans.

“I mean, we’re human beings here,” Schiavoni said. “We need to have some sort of predictability in our everyday lives. ... If there’s a violation of that notice requirement, then (the businesses) have to pay fines to the state.”

Rep. John Boccieri, D-Poland, said the bill is a “flag in the turf” to protect Ohio workers. Since 2006, the state has lost nearly 14,000 call center jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This bill would require all state agencies to employ Ohio call centers for their customer service work.

Keith Lake, the vice president of governmental affairs with the Chamber of Commerce, said the bill should be called the “No More New Call Center Jobs Act.” He said the measure essentially punishes businesses for factors beyond their control and would expedite the exodus of jobs from Ohio.

“We certainly don’t support that bill,” Lake said. “It will ensure that no more new call center jobs come to Ohio. It’s a terrible message to send to businesses.”

The protection of call center jobs isn’t just a union issue, union representative Frank Matthews said. He called the loss of jobs a survival issue for working families in Ohio.

The bill, according to Matthews, will serve as a roadmap for other states seeking to protect call center workers.

He cited a bevy of states, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama and New York, that are considering similar legislation.

Yuko said he’s confident that rising political energy behind securing American jobs will help the bill become law.

“We can’t sit back and be idle about the fact that our jobs are leaving Ohio with reckless abandon and not react to it,” Yuko said. “This gives us an opportunity to react with some teeth behind it and get people thinking about it.”