Florida food stamp jobs in India aggravate recipients, officials

[OhioChick]

Thursday, April 16, 2009

TALLAHASSEE — After selling real estate for two decades in Palm Beach County, Michelle Brown picked up a baby-sitting job when the housing market tanked. Then the children's parents had their hours cut at work, so she turned to the state for help in buying food.

When Brown called the customer service line for the state's food stamp program, a phone rang in India.

"It's like a slap in the face," said Brown, 52, of Jupiter. "That's a job I'd be qualified for."

With unemployment at 9.4 percent in Florida and nearly 50,000 new applications for food stamps each month, the state has paid JPMorgan Chase nearly $50 million over the past three years to provide food stamp program services, which include customer service call centers in Bangalore and Gurgaon, India.

"She's got every right to be incensed," said state Rep. Juan Zapata, R-Miami, chairman of the House Human Services Appropriations Committee. "I can understand why she would feel that this is just not a good policy. We'll definitely look into it."

Spokesmen for Gov. Charlie Crist and Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon declined a request for comment.

JPMorgan Chase, which also declined to comment, is facing criticism in Washington for reported plans to increase its use of India-based contractors by 25 percent. The company has received $25 billion from the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program.

More: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/apr/16/florida-food-stamp-jobs-india-aggravate-recipients/

This is fucked up. :mad:

[OhioChick]

1. EDITORIAL: Call out JP Morgan Chase

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Sometimes, the Legislature gets needlessly outraged over small things. This week, however, the Legislature got rightly outraged over a small thing.

Unemployed Floridians who call the state Department of Children and Families for help with food stamps find themselves talking to someone in India. That's because JP Morgan Chase, which is getting $50 million over three years to provide that call-in help, outsourced the work.

Oh, and JP Morgan Chase got $25 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program money.

There may be nothing the state can do about that contract except not renew it. But the idea that American taxpayers are indirectly subsidizing the outsourcing of jobs in this economy is outrageous.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2009/04/16/a12a_call_edit_0417.html

[CountAllVotes]

4. JP Morgan Chase is also on Madoff's list of "clients"

just FYI! :mad: :mad: :mad:

:dem: :kick:

[blue97keet]

9. Aren't some states issuing bank debit cards for unemployment etc.

instead of sending checks through the mail, and the banks charge the recipients fees as well as using offshore call centers - a double rip-off.

[ChromeFoundry]

2. yes, it's fucked up.

Our tax-payer dollars at work.

[peace frog]

3. Color me so unsurprised

Much more important to save a few rupees employing Indians to do work that should be made available to qualified Florida residents. But then again, we are talking about Flori-DUH, and Jeb Bush's legacy lives on, and on, and on, ad infinitum...

[Dr.Phool]

10. You're not saving a few rupees by doing this.

They're increasing corporate profit margins!

[Larkspur]

5. Interesting historical tidbit from William Black

He said that the 1932 Pecora Commission exposed that J.P. Morgan hadn't paid taxes in years. Wonder if that is true today?

[ihavenobias]

6. Well

so it wouldn't surprise me.

[HillWilliam]

7. A repuke says "we'll look into it"

which means her needs just went down a black hole, since it was the repukes who busily gave businesses tax breaks for sending our jobs to India, Malaysia, China, Costa Rica, ad nauseam for three decades now.

Hypocrisy, thy very visage is Republican.

[KoKo]

8. To the Greatest! K&R!

[Dr.Phool]

11. Another reason to hate JPMorgan Chase.

I hate that frigging corporation!

[Dr.Phool]

12. Love that sig line!

And I just forwarded this to my wife, who works for one of the agencies outsourced by Florida DCF.

[OhioChick]

14. Thanks...

I hate JPMorgan Chase, as well. Won't do any business with them. I've also been forwarding all of this to my Senators, Congressman and the WH. (Also spreading the word to family and friends, which will take business away from JP)

[bertman]

13. This is just more of the same. Profit-taking at the expense of Americans by supposedly

patriotic American corporations. Sickening.