The Hill News

The AFL-CIO and its community-affiliate group, Working America, unveiled a massive database Thursday that details companies outsourcing U.S. jobs.

Drawing upon government data, the “Job Tracker” database lists information on more than 400,000 corporations and subsidiaries that have sent jobs overseas, run afoul of health and safety codes or have violated labor law.

The labor federation used the Freedom of Information Act to request government documents such as Trade Adjustment Assistance records, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices and Occupational Safety Health Administration records to come up with the database. Once all compiled into the database, the information is now searchable for users by company name, industry and zip code to show how their neighborhood has been affected by outsourcing.

“As outsourcing has expanded, wages have stagnated and wealth has become concentrated,” Trumka said on a conference! call with reporters. “While other nations implement strategic industrial policies to strengthen their technological capacity and manufacturing base, U.S. policies have encouraged U.S. manufacturers to offshore.”

Calling it “an important tool,” Trumka said the database will help get concrete information in citizens’ hands on what companies are outsourcing. It is also designed to put pressure on lawmakers to change U.S. tax and trade policies in support of U.S. industry.

The union leader noted recent Republican votes in Congress against bills intended to end China’s currency manipulation and close tax loopholes for companies shipping jobs overseas as examples of lawmakers not stopping outsourcing.

“This is a chance for us to make that issue even stronger and demand that politicians try to find solutions instead of walking away from the problem,” Trumka said.