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Ten US Senators Seek Investigation Into the Replacement of US Tech Workers
dcblogs notes this story about a bipartisan group of U.S. senators that has asked for an investigation into whether companies are firing American workers and replacing them with foreign workers for the sake of cutting costs. "Ten U.S. senators, representing the political spectrum, are seeking a federal investigation into displacement of IT workers by H-1B-using contractors. They are asking the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Labor Department to investigate the use of the H-1B program "to replace large numbers of American workers" at Southern California Edison (SCE) and other employers. The letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and the secretaries of the two other departments, was signed by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight over the Justice Department. The other signers are Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), a longtime ally of Grassley on H-1B issues; Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), David Vitter (R-La.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.). Neither California senator signed on. "Southern California Edison ought to be the tipping point that finally compels Washington to take needed actions to protect American workers," Sessions said. Five hundred IT workers at SCE were cut, and many had to train their replacements."
This. This times ONE MILLION. Why are we not investing in the education of Americans so they can be the 'replacement workers'? Why are we not promoting our own population rather than bringing in foreigners who will likely send all that money overseas? What the actual fuck? Are they TRYING to destroy the country!?
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Fucking A, We have been paying more in taxes then most of the H1B's were making back in their homeland FOR FUCKING YEARS. What do we get? More taxes and a stab in the back by the Plutocrats as they stroke the 1% ers. When you're out of work, You think those bastards will help you? Unemployment has been reduced to 9 months and good luck getting on foodstamps. Don't even think about getting any cash to keep the lights or landline on unless you have mewling brats. Plan to sell everything you own if you're out of the market longer then a year.
FUCK YOU Mr Anon. I've been there.
instead of the 'I cant fix my own country, so I'll just go to the US, instead' mentality.
Speaking as one of the immigrants (see my slashdot name for details) I didn't come here because the US was better or my home country was deficient, I came here because I work in technology and the center of the techy universe is the West coast of the United States.
If I worked in pharma I'd probably have gone somewhere else.
You do know that more Americans emigrate than non-American immigrate to the US?
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
When a company I worked for outsourced IT, they required all displaced employees to document their jobs to the extent that offshore operators could do them.
it seems to me that this makes three, shall we say, outrageously optimistic assumptions: (1) that untrained operators can do the job based entirely on looking up solutions, (2) that IT jobs can be entirely quantized into a reasonable number of procedures, and (3) that displaced employees would be sufficiently motivated to document their jobs to the degree necessary that operators could do them.
A side assumption, equally optimistic, is that managers have enough savvy to tell whether displaced employees have done a good job documenting the work they do, or are just having them on.
So, cutover happens -- and the lights go out.
But we saved a lot of money.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
ethnic diversity?
have you walked the hallways of companies that hire 'a lot' of h1b's?
come visit the bay area. take a tour of any random cisco building, for example. just go into their cafeteria. or pick another well known tech company in the bay area. go walk their hallways. listen to the languages you hear there.
come back and tell me about diversity.
ok, you have a point. you can hear mandarin, cantonese, hindi and at least 10 other indian dialects. and so, yes, there's a KIND of diversity in tech, these days, in so-called US companies...
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Aside from the normal arguments about a shortage of workers *at what offered wage level* etc, etc., the more interesting question here is a question of demographics.
When the world offers you endless numbers of reasonably well-trained workers who can fill your job openings at 1/2 the cost of US workers, what is a country to do? How long can a country resist that pressure? We may politically shout for better wages and training for US citizens to fill these jobs, but the deeper issue is that borders/barriers are less and less effective lately against a flood of competition from people who are cheaper and better (or hungrier).
Americans I believe will have to come to grips with the possibility of a stagnant or even decreasing standard of living as the rest of the world takes what was once our position. No amount of restriction of H-1B visas will prevent that.
is the reduction of intellectual strength and tech development from foreign countries. If you can gather 100 000 highly educated and motivated people from foreign countries every year, and bring them into the U.S, then it's a "win" because these people's efforts will benefit the U.S instead of their home countries. This may displace Americans and put them in lower paid jobs, but that's not as urgent as the fight against the rest of the world. The people at the top of government wants all tech development to happen and be based inside the U.S economy, and pushing to increase the H1B1 caps is one effort to achieve that.
The only time these investigations will happen, is when H1B1 visas are spent on cheap, Indian labor, instead of those brilliant minds that are actually wanted.
The guy that writes Dilbert worked for a Utility for 20 years, PG&E IIRC. His cartoons are based on the facts of his workplace while at the utility.
American here, Missouri resident. Let me explain something about what an American is, we are all immigrants, even the original natives. We (or are ancestors) all came here for opportunity, be that freedom, economic or other.
When you talk about 'us' you're talking about people who came here for the same basic reason as those you call 'them'.
I say come one, come all. Give us your poor, your weak and your down trodden. It is from that same pool that we have made this nation strong and prosperous.
Do you know why America is so great? It's because we are made up of all the people if the World. It is because the American culture is a many splendored thing. We are a great nation for the simple fact that we are made up of such a diverse people. We are not great because we're Americans. We are great because we are English, French, Korean, Indian, Romainian, Botswanan, Japanese and so much more that I can't begin to list them all.
For the record, we are not a Democracy ruled by the majority we are a Republic ruled by laws that make all if equal, no matter their lineage. That equality even extends to people who are not citizens, because some day they may well be.
If you want to help make this nation better I suggest you keep these ideals in mind. They've served us well in the past and they'll serve us well in the future, provided we honor them.
For US: tech workers will suffer from unemployment or suppressed wages For H1B holders: The Tata's and Infosys' of this scheme will dangle the green card carrot in front of you while raping your wages to the tune of 50% For US companies: Economy will look like a spaceship, which no one can stop from going up Then the tech bubble will blow stockholders will suffer Indian H1B workers, who were waiting patiently for their green cards will be sent home with nothing to show for Recession will depress the job market for the American worker Who will benefit from this ? The few C- level executives with a golden parachute exit plans. It will not be their problem to fix the mess. It is the next sucker's problem to deal with. Tell me what is good about this plan ?
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The more I know people, the more I love animals