Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message

[http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/~senator]

May 20, 2004

Mr. Robert
, Apartment 9
Hayward

Dear Mr.:

	Thank you for your letter expressing your concern with the
outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas.  This is an issue that concerns
me as well, and I will share some of my thoughts with you.

	I have received many heartfelt letters from Cans
who have either lost their jobs when their company moved jobs
overseas, or know people who have.  It is very troubling to me that
the downsizing of companies and the outsourcing of jobs appears
to be becoming a trend not only in Ca, but nationwide.
President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors recently released
a report that said that the outsourcing of jobs is a positive and
inevitable byproduct of an improving economy.  I couldn't
disagree more.  The striking loss of good jobs in Ca
certainly indicates that both the downsizing of companies and the
outsourcing of jobs are playing a major negative role in our
economy.

      I believe that instead of excusing the loss of high paying
jobs as inevitable, we should be taking reasonable and sensible
measures to stop encouraging U.S. companies to move their
employees overseas.  For example, our tax code frequently rewards
companies for moving jobs offshore by allowing the companies to
bring foreign earned profits back into the U.S. at a rate well below
what you or I pay on our income taxes.

      We also need to invest in our future.  We must continue to
fund and strengthen our domestic education system, which has
made Americans the most productive and skilled workforce in the
world.   I believe that we also need to invest in appropriate safety
nets for those who are temporarily displaced by shifts in domestic
industry.  Such safety nets would include the extension of
temporary unemployment benefits, more affordable healthcare for
those between jobs, and more robust job training and placement
services for people displaced by outsourcing.

	One problem is that companies currently divulge very little
information about the numbers of jobs they are moving overseas
and the reasons for the shifts.  This makes it harder to pinpoint the
source of the problem and to arrive at a workable solution.  For this
reason, I decided to cosponsor the Jobs for America Act (S. 2090)
which requires companies to disclose to the Department of Labor
information about why jobs are being sent overseas and where the
jobs are going.  The Department of Labor will then be required to
report annually to Congress about the statistics of off-shored jobs.
It also requires companies to notify workers three months in
advance if their jobs will be sent overseas and to contact agencies
responsible for assisting and retraining laid off employees.

      I am very troubled by the loss of American jobs and I will
continue to investigate the roots of this problem to arrive at an
appropriate and effective solution.  I have directed my staff to look
into legislative options to remove any incentives that would
encourage a company to move jobs overseas.

      I believe that international trade can benefit our nation by
providing new markets for American goods and also by providing
cheaper goods for American consumers.  However, we must
proceed with caution to prevent a "race to the bottom" in wages as
we compete to keep jobs in the U.S.  Please know that I will
continue to work hard to keep good jobs in the U.S. and to keep
Americans employed.

	Again, thank you for writing.  If you have any questions or
concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C.
office at (202) 224-3841.

			Sincerely yours,

			Dianne Feinstein
			United States Senator

http://feinstein.senate.gov

Further information about my position on issues of concern to Ca and
the
Nation are available at my website http://feinstein.senate.gov.  You can also
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http://feinstein.senate.gov/issue.html.