Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Senate Democrats Propose Measure To Protect Call Center Employees

Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman) speaks about the Consumer Protection Call Center Act before call center workers at the Statehouse.
Daniel Konik
Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman) speaks about the Consumer Protection Call Center Act before call center workers at the Statehouse.

Federal stats show nearly 14,000 jobs at call centers in Ohio have been lost in the last decade. Now Senate Democrats have proposed a bill that seeks to protect 170,000 workers still at call centers in Ohio.

The bill would require call center companies that want to outsource at least 30% of their operations to notify the state at least 120 days in advance, or face a $10,000 daily fine and placement on a bad actors list. And it would require the state to use only Ohio-based call centers for their 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.”

A similar proposal failed last year. The House version is expected to have Republican co-sponsorship. But the bill faces an uphill battle, since it’s opposed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

Copyright 2017 The Statehouse News Bureau

Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.