Senator Torres files “Save Florida Call Centers Job Act of 2017”

State Senator Victor Torres (D-Orlando) has filed SB 1632 in an effort to reduce outsourcing of call center jobs and protect employees working in Florida.  Nearly 350,000 Floridians are currently employed in customer service and support call center jobs today in the Sunshine State.  As companies seeks ways to reduce costs, relocating these jobs to areas with lower wages, either out-of-state or to another country, places Florida workers in jeopardy of losing their livelihoods.
“Off shoring and out-sourcing of jobs may be good for the corporate bottom line but it has tragic consequences for the working men and women of Florida,” said Senator Torres.
Representative Robert Asencio (D-Miami) has filed the companion bill HB 815 in the House of Representatives. “Call center workers often handle sensitive financial, health care and personal information that Floridians have a right to know is secure and protected,” he said. “When that interaction involves state business, it is only proper that their tax dollars are being used to support a secure and professional call center here in Florida. Not only is this about the good jobs that call centers support in communities across the state, it is about ensuring that we are at the forefront of data security.”
This bill will require existing call centers planning to relocate outside of Florida, or reducing their staff by more than 30 percent, to notify the Department of Business & Professional Regulation 120 days in advance of any relocation or downsizing.  It also authorizes DBPR to establish an inventory list of call centers and number of employees and create a financial penalty for companies not in compliance with the notification requirements. Once on the non-compliance list, the bill would also bar these companies from certain state grants, loans and tax benefits for five years.
The AFL-CIO has expressed support for this legislation. Don Abicht, President of CWA Local 3122, which represents Florida’s communication workers said: “We thank the sponsors of the new legislation for their leadership and for recognizing that taxpayer money should go to strengthen Florida’s economy. It shouldn’t be used to ship jobs overseas. The “Save Florida Call Center Jobs Act of 2017” is an important bill that would help American workers, protect American communities, and benefit American consumers’ safety.”
For more information, please contact Senator Torres’s Legislative Aide Al Yorston at (850) 487-5015 or via email at: [email protected].