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Senator Prods Microsoft On H-1B Visas After Layoff Plans
CWmike writes "US Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) told Microsoft this week that US citizens should get priority over H-1B visa holders as the software vendor moves forward on its plan to cut 5,000 jobs. 'These work visa programs were never intended to allow a company to retain foreign guest workers rather than similarly qualified American workers, when that company cuts jobs during an economic downturn,' Grassley wrote in a letter sent Thursday to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The letter asked Microsoft to detail the types of jobs that will be eliminated and how those cuts will affect the company's H-1B workers."
Reader theodp adds, "On Friday, Microsoft coincidentally announced it would postpone construction of a planned $500 million data center in Grassley's home state of Iowa, although work on data centers in Chicago and Dublin will continue."
Why not build a wall to keep all the dirty foreigners out while you are at it, eh?
I have no problem with your logic however here is a way to apply your logic while being fair to the system. The should
be required to add 5000 american worker filled skilled positions before being eligible to hire or employ a new H1B worker.
Got Code?
tax them out of existence. This is the company that set the record for "permatemps" who were really full-time W-2 employees. Off-shoring codeing - skipping over qualified US workers...
And, creating the most insecure OS in history...
Time for MS to end the charade and fold up shop - their stock is BS and the Unix/Linux world can pick up and correct the decades of MSFT errors.
Off them with extreme prejudice. No more bloated MS OS - this is a good thing!
I don't know anything about this senator, but clearly he is either a moron, or he thinks the American people are stupid.
How can anyone be dumb enough to think that this isn't exactly what the legislation was designed to allow? I suppose next senator Grassley is going to tell us that the legislation that gave tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas was not supposed to put Americans out of work.
Are you kidding? Do you lack reading comprehension?
His point was that bringing in skilled workers from other countries benefits us. The majority of those H1-Bs stay in the USA, raise families, and become Americans after a period of time.
You're surprised this is Republican?!?!?!?! What America have you lived in? Wake the fuck up you idiot. The Republicans have always tried to protect American values -- and that includes protecting its citizens first. What do you think the whole Guantanamo military tribunal think is all about? And, oh, no surprisingly the Democratic administration has made it first business to tear that down as well. You must really believe all CNN is telling you.
Because it is coming. There are too many potential voters for either the Democrats or Republicans to ignore. About everything you claim that H1Bs did can be applied to current illegal immigrants who will most likely within two years be granted amnesty. Or does this only account if it affects jobs at "our" level?
I disagree with the Senator on the stand point of that if it makes the business better long term then they need to be able to keep people who are here legally. Protectionism is wrong at any level. It is the consistent meddling in business that has led to the current failure in lending markets, higher prices (sugar is the grand daddy of them all), and upcoming docket of lawsuits because of new laws coming which purposely allow people to sue from time began over offenses.
No, there is no difference between this and amnesty except it bites those like us. Why protect ourselves if we won't protect lower income workers or do they not count except during elections?
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.