demand release of the GAO report on outsourcing

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Message text follows:

Robert

where-I-live


May 19, 2004

[recipient address was inserted here]


 [recipient name was inserted here],

As an unemployed software engineer, I am greatly alarmed at the pace of 
outsourcing and offshoring of jobs in my industry. While some increase in 
jobs was registered recently, the high-tech, family-wage jobs continue to 
be lost--3,900 in April alone. You could stop the bleeding dry of our 
skilled jobs in two important ways:

* Support the inclusion of service sector workers in assistance programs 
when their jobs are lost to foreign trade. The Trade Adjustment Assistance 
Equity for Service Workers Act of 2004 would extend to high-tech and other 
service workers benefits currently available only to displaced 
manufacturing and agricultural workers. These benefits include tuition 
assistance, job training, extended unemployment benefits, and health care 
assistance. The proposal has been stalled in the House Ways and Means 
committee because there is not yet enough support for it to be sent to the 
floor for a vote - so your support is needed!

* Call for the release of the study by the U.S. General Accounting Office 
on how outsourcing and offshoring affect the American economy. The study 
was slated for release sometime this summer, according to the office of 
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash), who requested it. However, it will now be 
delayed until at least September. Without the results of such a study in 
hand, backers of measures that would curb offshoring say building a case 
for such bills is more difficult. Virtually all measures that would 
prohibit the offshoring of public contracts have been unsuccessful to 
date. We need the GAO study to be released quickly.
 
If you have questions about this issue, please take a look at 
http://www.washtech.org . Jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area depend on 
your awareness and action on the offshoring issue.

Sincerely,


Robert