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Senator Prods Microsoft On H-1B Visas After Layoff Plans

Posted by Soulskill on from the checking-their-priorities dept.

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."

2 of 574 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Republican? by ssintercept · · Score: 1, Troll

    how surprised? a republican doesnt like foreigners. sounds normal to me. i think you are reading way too much into it.

    --
    "You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution."-- Fred Hampton
  2. Re:Republican? by Alinabi · · Score: 1, Troll

    The government did not bring anybody to the US. The companies did. So, yes, it is a free market.

    --
    "You can't allow somebody to commit the crime before you detain them." [Condoleezza Rice]