U.S. Rep. Gary Peters denounced the House Republicans today for voting down his amendment which would have provided consumers and investors with information about companies’ job outsourcing track record.
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Currently, publicly traded companies are required to file their total number of employees annually but the Peters amendment would have required them to break those numbers down by country and state. Peters, a Bloomfield Township Democrat, said the information would provide transparency so consumers and investors could make “an informed decision about whether they choose to spend their hard earned dollars on companies that create American jobs or companies that engage in outsourcing.”
The House vote was 230-175 with all but three Republicans voting against the measure, which is supported by dozens of labor unions and consumer associations.
“In the last decade, it’s estimated that multinational corporations eliminated almost 3 million American jobs while adding 2.4 million overseas, and we need to fight for American jobs,” Peters said. “The families I represent in Michigan have felt the impact of outsourcing for years and House Republicans are wrong to deny them the opportunity to support companies that create American jobs.”
During the debate on the House floor, Republicans warned that the amendment would create new regulations and paperwork for employers. Peters, who faces a tough primary against fellow Democratic Rep. Hansen Clarke of Detroit, called that argument a smokescreen.
“Companies know where they send their paychecks and they already have to file their total number of employees annually, so for the Republicans to suggest that having publicly traded companies disclose to their investors where these jobs are is false and ridiculous,” said Peters, a former financial analyst.
good one !