43
Strickland issues order banning outsourcing
By MARC KOVAC
COLUMBUS
Gov. Ted Strickland issued an executive order Friday barring public funding for companies fulfilling state contracts with outsourced labor.
“Outsourcing jobs does not reflect Ohio values,” Strickland said in a released statement. “Ohioans have been among the hardest hit by more than a decade of unfair trade agreements and the trickle-down economic policies that promoted off-shoring jobs at the expense of Ohioans who work for a living. ”
The move came a little more than a week after reports that the Texas firm hired to administer Ohio’s federally funded appliance- rebate program used workers in Central America as part of the program.
Strickland said last week that he was disappointed that federal stimulus funds were used to pay workers at an overseas call center, and he said he vowed that no future state contracts would go to companies that were outsourcing jobs.
“This program was successful in stimulating economic activity for Ohio appliance manufacturers and retailers,” Strickland said of the appliance rebates. “But contracting with a domestic service provider that ultimately outsourced jobs could and should have been prevented. This order will ensure that this never happens again.”
The order states, “No public funds should be spent on services provided offshore.”
Strickland added, “Ohio’s policy has been — and must continue to be — that public funds should not be spent on services provided offshore. Throughout my administration, procurement procedures have been in place that restrict the purchase of offshore services.”