YEARS OF HARD WORK END IN VICTORY AS NY GOV. CUOMO SIGNS CALL CENTER BILL INTO LAW

District 1 kicked off 2020 with a major victory: On January 2nd, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the New York State Call Center Jobs Act into law, capping off years of hard work by our members to protect the state’s call center workers.

The new law is a historic advancement that will protect New York call center workers and other state taxpayers. From now on, any call center company that has taken loans, grants or tax breaks from New York State will forfeit those benefits if they move 30% or more of their New York call center jobs out of the country and by creating a "bad actor" list of companies that engage in this behavior. 

This victory would not have happened without the tireless efforts of our members who have been writing letters, sending postcards, making phone calls, traveling to the state capitol in Albany time and time again to get this bill passed. 

“Since 2006, New York has lost more than 40,000 call center jobs,” said District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “It is long past time New York stopped rewarding companies that send call center jobs overseas with taxpayer dollars."

Governor Cuomo's signing follows overwhelming and bipartisan support from the New York Assembly (130-18 vote in June 2019) and the State Senate (58-3 vote in March 2019).

"Today is a great day," said Brittni Everett, a call center worker from Albany. "The voices of New York workers drowned out those of the big corporations who have prioritized profits over people. I am so proud of our elected officials for standing up for call center workers who just want to be able to rely on their good, middle-class jobs. As a single mother, I know the importance of this legislation first hand and I know how it will personally affect me and my child."

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