WASHINGTON –Today, Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Jim Justice (R-WV) introduced the Keep Call Centers in America Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure when Americans call a call center, they can speak to a human located in the U.S.
READ MORE: New bill aims to protect American call center jobs and consumers from AI
“If you’re calling customer service, chances are your day isn’t going great. On those frustrating days, you should be able to talk to a real human being right here in the U.S.,” said Senator Gallego. “My bill will encourage companies to keep their call centers in the U.S. and require that they tell you up-front if you’re talking to an AI bot – protecting American jobs and making your day easier.”
“West Virginians and all Americans deserve good service. When folks pick up the phone and ask for help, they shouldn’t have to deal with AI robots or be routed to someone across the world. This bill puts American workers first and ensures people can talk to a real person who understands them when they need help,” said Senator Justice.
The Keep Call Centers in America Act would:
- Require companies to report to the Department of Labor (DOL) when moving call center operations outside of the United States. DOL would maintain a publicly available list of companies that have offshored call center operations.
- Employers on the list are ineligible for new federal awards and if they have an existing award, the company must pay a monthly penalty and are ineligible if they are still on the list in one year.
- Require agencies to give preference to employers not on the list when awarding contracts.
- Require call center workers to disclose the location of the call center or if AI is being used and must transfer communications to a call center in the US, if requested by a customer.
- Require a DOL report on the amount/location of federal call center work and on job losses associated with AI use for customer service.
A one-page summary of the bill can be foundHERE.
A section-by-section summary of the bill can be found HERE.
Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.
Support for the Keep Call Centers in America Act:
“CWA strongly supports the Keep Call Centers in America Act. This much needed legislation protects U.S. call center jobs and addresses the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence and offshoring,” said Communications Workers of America (CWA) Director of Government Affairs, Dan Mauer. “Historically, companies have offshored customer service jobs to avoid paying good union wages and benefits. Now companies are using AI to deskill and speed up work and displace jobs, which undermines worker rights and degrades service quality for consumers. Our taxpayer dollars should not be used to reward this race to the bottom. We applaud the introduction of the Keep Call Centers in America Act and urge Congress to pass it without delay.”
7/30/25