Help on Boycotting the Outsourcers? Are there any good companies left?

[Stephanie]

I want to cancel my AMEX card after having to call India today to find out what my balance is.

Are there any lenders that are not shipping jobs overseas? I will transfer my balances right now. How can I find this information?

[lcordero]

1. try this:

http://www.onshorealternatives.com

[Stephanie]

9. This is a great site - looking at it now, thanks

One of our brilliant DU web designers needs to give them a hand, though. Messy site.

[ramapo]

2. Probably not

Boycotting outsourcers is as easy as boycotting imported products. I'd venture to say there are very few, if any, major US corporations that have not transferred jobs offshore.

[Rose Siding]

3. Working Assets talks a good game

I have them for my long distance- they *said* no outsourcing. They also do a credit card and they donate a % of all their business to progressive groups.

http://www.workingassets.com/

[latebloomer]

4. But the bill comes from MBNA America

What's up with that??

[Rose Siding]

5. I don't know

They just seemed to be the least horrible choice I could find and there are some positives, as well.

[mike1963]

6. Here's a starting point

http://www.mbna.com/about/index.html

Other than this I know nothing about them, never heard of them before a couple mins ago...

[Stephanie]

8. MBNA issues cards under the name of various organizations

I had an MBNA card issued under the name of my college. It's just a gimmick to get business. But I wonder if Working Assets vets them for good practices? I would hope so, but then the question seems to be whether ANY of these companies are fair.

[Stephanie]

7. I have that card - the only problem is

they just front for the bank, which is MBNA. So I really don't know if they're any better. MBNA just informed me that my default rate would be going up to 24% - on a card that has had ZERO balance for more than a year. So I don't want to patronize them either!

[usrbs]

10. Don't use MBNA - they're one of Bush's top contributers

OpenSecrets.org

President Bush’s First 100 Days:
A Look at How the Special Interests Have Fared

Bankruptcy

Back in June 1999, Charles Cawley, president of MBNA America Bank, a bank that is to credit cards what Coke is to soft drinks, hosted what he called an intimate dinner at his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. But it was no ordinary get-together. More than 200 guests gathered that evening on Cawley’s back porch, sipping cocktails and writing $1,000 checks to underwrite the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, the party’s guest of honor.

Over the next year, Cawley would personally raise at least $100,000 for the Bush campaign, qualifying him for admission into the Pioneers, the campaign’s roster of top supporters. Such fund-raising prowess no doubt helped secure MBNA’s slot as Bush’s single top contributor, with more than $240,000 in contributions from its employees during 1999-2000. And last January, Cawley broke out his checkbook again, writing a $100,000 check to the Bush-Cheney Inaugural Fund.

<...>
http://www.opensecrets.org/bush/100days/bankruptcy.asp

[Stephanie]

11. Oh geez. And I just CALLED them and they said they don't outsource

The guy told me they have eight centers in the U.S.- Maine, Delaware, NJ, GA, CA & TX. He said they have international centers for the international banking, in the UK, Canada, India and Spain, but that they don't outsource and will not close U.S. locations. He said they were in fact hiring, and that the company president said they will NOT outsource. Of course that doesn't mean they won't. And the kid on the phone probably doesn't know too much about it. But at least he was not in India as he was telling me about it.

SO - MBNA no good either. Are there any good ones left?

[silverlib]

12. I canceled my AT&T service last week

after the same thing happened (ended up in India). I checked Lou Dobb's list and also canceled my email solicitations from Lillian Vernon. I stopped buying from WalMart some times ago, for other reasons. I went with Working Assets for long distance, and although I changed local service, I do not think there is a local service company that does not outsource. My intent is to not buy from companies that outsource, but it is going to be very difficult and impossible in some areas.

[Stephanie]

13. Where did you find Lou Dobb's list

I'd like to see that. Thanks.

[silverlib]

14. Sorry it took me so long

http://us.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/

go to "Exporting America"

And I don't have the credit card from Working Assets, but just because they donate to the Repugs, doesn't mean they outsource.

I don't think we'll be able to buy "Democrat" for a long time. It's hard enough, and impossible, to boycott all outsourcers.

Good luck. Let me know if the link doesn't work for you and I'll try again.

[Stephanie]

15. Thanks - good list of companies that outsource

Now I just need a list of companies that DON'T outsource. That list of outsourcers is WAY too long. If you look at the site posted in the first post, they expect more than 3 million jobs to be outsourced by 2015.

On the other site he calls it "offshoring" - which is probably a better term.

[Stephanie]

16. I sent this email to Lou Dobbs:

Thanks so much for the list of companies that have outsourced American jobs. What I need is a list of the companies that are patriotic enough to leave the jobs here. I want to transfer my credit accounts to a bank that is not outsourcing. Any suggestions? Thanks Lou!

[buckeye1]

17. This is an ugly situation.

The currant strike in SoCal. is all about Walmart. Walmart is so powerful now. They can dictate wages that their competition pays.
Walmart is the largest corp. worldwide.
Do you remember Etctch a Sketch? walmart forced them to move to China.

There might be good corps left but the walmart type sharks can kill them if they don't fall in line.

I could go on,walmart is a no good for anyone.

When the biggest corp. becomes the worst for people the others will have to follow.

Sorry,the preciding was OT. You might find a solution but it might be just temporary. The race to the bottom is well underway. Your job might be next.

if not consider that your neighbor who was paying taxes on oh 50 or 60K now has no job or one that pays half or worse. Who will pick up that shortfall in public service.

39 states are in deficect and school are closed,fire stations are closing etc.

Forgive my rant. You must have known it all.

[Stephanie]

18. Of course I agree with you

I'm not big enough to fight it, I just want to do what I can to not support it. All suggestions appreciated.

[Stephanie]

19. Someone recommended I look at a Union credit card

It's issued through Household - I'm trying to glean from their site whether they are committed to keeping American jobs here. Can't really tell, can you?

http://www.household.com/corp/index.jsp

[Fescue4u]

23. Sorry but

Household definitely outsources call centers to India.

[Stephanie]

25. Oh geez!

They were looking pretty good to me, too.

What to do? Take a loan from the credit union and cancel all cards?

[ConsAreLiars]

20. Co-op America

http://www.coopamerica.org/

lists a large number of socially responsible operations. A pretty good resource.

[Stephanie]

24. Thanks - that's a good resource

But when I search it they bring me right back to Working Assets - we need a new resource focused just on unpatriotic, Offshoring companies.

[TOhioLiberal]

21. Some info for you

if you live in an area that has Comcast Cable TV and Internet (specifically the areas formally 'serviced' by ATT); they outsource.

The company I work for does the outsourcing. My job ends in 25 days; we are being outsourced to a call center in Canada.

[Stephanie]

22. Canada!

How does that save them any money!

I am so sorry! I don't have AT&T, but I will keep that in mind for future reference.

This is THE biggest issue right now.

Attention, Dem candidates! What are you going to do about it?

American workers deserves a FAIR DEAL!

[Stephanie]

28. Hah! Today when I call AMEX the person who answered was in Canada

Yesterday they were in India.

Then she couldn't help me so she transferred me to someone in Florida.

I am still looking for the company that will keep the jobs HERE. When I find it they can have ALL my business.

[beyurslf]

26. What do you do when you work for a company that does this?

I work for a bank and I think every major bank has call center ops overseas in India.

I think they tried last year to move our jobs there. I work in mortgage processing/underwriting. There was HUGE backlash from customers who would call and say, "I applied for a loan with Bank of America and I have to call India to check on the status of being approved!" They were pissed when their loan was sent there and were thinking some guy in an Indian village was going to decline his loan. We don't have any mortgage processing there now. Our call centers are there though.

[Stephanie]

27. That's actually very encouraging

The fact that your bank responded to the complaints is a very good thing.

We have to start thinking about how we can wield influence as consumers, since we apparently have no one representing our interests in Washington.

I will be sure to tell AMEX, when I cancel my card, that I am doing it to protest the shipping of American jobs overseas.

I'm just afraid I won't be able to find a non-outsourcing alternative.

[marie123]

29. hey you

I work for fleet!

[SoCalDem]

30. SAS shoes..

American owned & run.. As a holiday bonus, owner gave each employee $1,000.00 for each year they had worked there..One couple got $39,000.00..

See what can happen with a well run company that makes a great product, and has an owner who is not greedy :)

[Stephanie]

31. Those shoes were featured in the NY Times this weekend

They are so ugly they are cool.

[SoCalDem]

32. They are soooooo comfy

When I stood for 8 hrs at work, I wore them.. Some of their sandals are ok looking.. and the purses last forever.. I have 4 of them :)

[Stephanie]

33. Here's the article

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/01/fashion/01POSS.html

<excerpt>

"They're good, high-quality, American comfort shoes," said Mr. Charney, who has been busy preparing to open stores in New York and Los Angeles in the next few months. He found the shoes a year ago in a shoe store in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, and bought two pairs — a brown lace-up (the Amigo) and a loafer (the Alamo, shown) — then and there. "I love them," he said. "They're weird, they're Eisenhower, they're Florida."

He bristled when the term "orthopedic" was used. "That's your word," he said angrily, and asked a passing colleague, "Hey, what do you think of these shoes?"

"Hospital," came the terse reply.

Moving on, Mr. Charney said that what he really liked about SAS shoes was their anonymity. "There's none of this false tribalism," he said, referring to the way that sneaker manufacturers festoon their wares with all manner of high-tech decoration. The fact that SAS shoes are made in the United States, he said, lent notes of patriotism and reverse-snob appeal to their plain-Jane look.

He added that SAS, a private company which has grown by word-of-mouth rather than advertising, sends a strong message about its product. "All this stuff in the last 10 years about branding was really a false messaging system," he said. "What got lost was good product design. It became more about the brand. They were just selling atmosphere."