Outsourcing, Burnout, and Union Responses in U.S. Call Centers

The growth of outsourcing is widely viewed as undermining job security in traditionally unionized industries and workplaces. It is thus both a potential source of worker stress and an important issue for unions in collective bargaining. In this paper, we draw on a mixed method study of US call centers to answer two questions. First, what is the relationship between outsourcing and worker burnout? Second, how are unions responding to outsourcing and its impact on their members? The analysis is based on a survey of 2100 unionized call center workers from 7 employers and 17 bargaining units; coded information on provisions in collective agreements for each bargaining unit; semi-structured interviews with union leaders; and the transcripts of 5 webinars carried out with union representatives and shop stewards. Structural equation models show two paths leading from outsourcing to burnout; one direct path leading from workers’ perception that future outsourcing was a significant threat to their job security, and one indirect path leading from more intensive reported interactions with outsourced vendors and their employees. Union representatives have sought to reduce these pressures on workers through negotiating provisions in collective agreements that restrict the volume of work outsourced and protect workers from customer abuse. We evaluate variation in outcomes across bargaining units with different provisions, and conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for evaluating the political dynamics of outsourcing and its impact on worker well-being.