Federal stats show nearly 14,000 jobs at call centers in Ohio have been lost in the last decade. Senate Democrats have proposed a bill that seeks to protect the 170,000 people still working at call centers in the state.
The bill would require call-center companies that want to outsource at least 30 percent of their operations to notify the state at least 120 days in advance, or face a $10,000 daily fine. It also includes placement on a bad actors list. And it would require the state to use only Ohio-based call centers for its customer service operations. Frank Mathews is with the Communications Workers of America District 4 in Cleveland.
“This is a survival issue for working families in Ohio, union and non-union. These laws and rules would apply across the board whether you’re a union or a non-union company,” Mathews says.
A similar proposal failed last year. The House version is expected to have Republican co-sponsorship. But the bill faces an uphill battle; it’s opposed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
