56 Senators Vote to Bring Jobs Home, but Senate Republicans Refuse to Consider "Insourcing" Bill

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate today took up the Bring Jobs Home Act, but despite a majority of senators voting to provide incentives to companies that bring good jobs back to the U.S., the bill failed to get the 60-vote “super majority” needed break a Republican filibuster and move the bill to the Senate floor.  The final vote was 56-42.

The legislation, introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and cosponsored by Senators Durbin (D-IL), Whitehouse (D-RI) and Blumenthal (D-CT), would provide tax credits and help for business expenses for companies that move jobs back from overseas. This bill also closes a loophole that allowed companies to be eligible for U.S. tax breaks while offshoring good jobs.

US Airways agents, members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), yesterday joined a Capitol Hill news briefing with the bill’s authors. Lori Manuel, a US Airways reservations agent in Winston-Salem, N.C., said over the past few years, 700 jobs had been brought back to the U.S. from the Philippines and Central America. Those jobs now are done by agents in Winston-Salem, Reno, and Phoenix.

Manuel said that bringing these jobs home is “a win for everyone. It shows that a smart company recognizes that quality service is a real competitive advantage. That’s what we provide at our reservations center and that’s what our customers want.”

Despite a majority of Senators supporting the Bring Jobs Home Act, Senate Republicans launched a filibuster of the bill and blocked it from getting to the floor for full consideration.

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Contact: Candice Johnson or Chuck Porcari, CWA Communications 202-434-1168 cjohnson@cwa-union.org or cporcari@cwa-union.org