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."

Comments

Hey!

[Anonymous Coward]

Dey tuk our jerbs!

I think it will help

[moteyalpha]

All those laid off workers can help with Open Source development while they're on unemployment. It sounds like a win to me.

Re:...because H1Bs are forms, not people

[cyber-vandal]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_liability

Get rid of this totally unwarranted governemnt interference in the market now!

Re:H1Bs are wrong

[mbone]

Seriously, what employer wouldn't want to be in the position to employ reasonably killed labor that *HAS* to work...

In my experience the dead do not work whether they need to or not.