Sen. Blumenthal Demands Lifting of IT 'Gag' Order (computerworld.com)

dcblogs writes: U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the layoff and replacement of IT workers by foreign workers at a state energy utility. But he is also demanding that the utility, Eversource Energy, drop a particularly restrictive non-disparagement clause that laid off employees had to sign to receive their severance. This clause bars discussion "that would tend to disparage or discredit" the utility. [emphasis added] He wants the employees, who had to train foreign replacements, to be able to state "honestly what happened to them."

Comments

I gag as well

[Anonymous Coward]

On nigger cock. End white oppression!!

Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

Had a new employee introduced to me today, his name was Rajiv. Management said "he'll be shadowing you for a few months, teach him everything you do." When asked where he was from, he said in passable English, Hyderabad. I probed further and found he was here on an H1-B visa. Nervous? Not really, just updated my resume'

Re:Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

Teach him everything wrong, but just barely. :)

I enjoy making up new equations; check out the XKCD "equivalences".

Some of the stuff I've "Taught" people has been quoted back to me by other people who should know better, lol.

Re:Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

If this is a real story, and your management team actually said that, they're either really, really stupid, or they really think that you can't get a new job on short notice.

So, please fuck them over. Thanks.

And by the way, I'm a manager and I think that anyone who pulls that kind of bullshit needs to pay for it. The one thing that keeps good managers from being able to resist these bullshit tactics is that the asshole managers and execs who come up with these plans don't have to pay dearly for their errors as soon as possible, so pressure builds on everyone to copy these tactics to keep down their personnel budgets.

Get a new job ASAP and provide the customary two weeks notice and no more. If they really want you to train this guy... and you want some extra money... let them sign a contract with you for them to pay you a consideration for your training of Rajiv on your off hours. Or don't and tell them to fuck off.

Good luck.

Re:Rajiv..

[sims 2]

I think you are refering to Approximations https://xkcd.com/1047/

Re:Rajiv..

[__aaclcg7560]

Nervous? Not really, just updated my resume'

Finding a new job while you're employed is much easier than finding a new job while unemployed.

Re:Rajiv..

[roc97007]

> If this is a real story, and your management team actually said that, they're either really, really stupid, or they really think that you can't get a new job on short notice.

I can verify that this happens. Awhile back my manager was replaced by an H1B manager, (true story!) in what might be described as a hostile takeover, and then new manager started replacing locals with H1B contractors, but more open about it -- stated in team meeting that he would concentrate on H1B contractors for all new hires for budgetary reasons -- only pulled from his country of origin, coincidentally. Shortly afterwards, we were all required to document our jobs in minute detail and start providing daily (!) status reports. I started interviewing immediately, but didn't get out in time, got laid off, but since I had started the process ahead of time, was only out of work for a couple weeks. I'd strongly suggest that OP do the same.

Someone else suggested giving incorrect information in the training -- I wouldn't go that far, hm, incomplete might be ok. But my experience, from an outsourcing that I happened to have survived (in a different role), is that, even if you make every good-faith effort to transfer complete knowledge on how to do the job, they'll find a way to screw themselves over. Because to a certain extent, you really do get what you pay for.

Re:Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

Get a new job ASAP and provide the customary two weeks notice and no more. If they really want you to train this guy... and you want some extra money... let them sign a contract with you for them to pay you a consideration for your training of Rajiv on your off hours. Or don't and tell them to fuck off.

Good luck.

Been there, done that. Walked. Best decision ever.

Re:Rajiv..

[93 Escort Wagon]

In addition to what others have said, I would start keeping a detailed log. Be sure to note the day you were introduced to Rajiv and who specifically said "teach him everything you know".

It'll come in handy should you choose to file a grievance or sue, down the road.

Re:Rajiv..

[techno-vampire]

Someone else suggested giving incorrect information in the training -- I wouldn't go that far, hm, incomplete might be ok.

I've never yet worked anywhere big enough to have an official way to do things where at least some of them weren't at least sub-optimal if not downright wrong. Teach the new hire how to do everything "by the book," and let him find out the hard way, after you're gone, why that's not always a good idea.

Re:Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

... Approximations xkcd.com/1047

It doesn't have an approximation of pi: 355/113 (one part in 10,000,000).

Re:Rajiv..

[Darinbob]

Train him in everything I do... I'd ask what the budget it for training, how many years of graduate school to pay for, give him a list of subjects to learn, then wait for the person to get caught up. If one is in a position where a trained animal can do it then it's important to make sure you're an indispensible trained animal. Otherwise you'll be treated like a trained animal. Obtain incriminating evidence on the CEO and store it in escrow, shmooze with the COB, don't write down the passwords, and keep the resume updated just in case.

Re:Rajiv..

[KGIII]

"by the book,"

Reason 5383 to not have 'the book.'

Re:Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

Dont be a bitch, name names.
Im sure the fuck has a linked in. Post it.
Post the company.

FUCK!

Re:Rajiv..

[PPH]

teach him everything you do.

Pretty much update my resume and line up interviews. Got that, Rajiv?

Re:Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

Sue.

Now.

They can only hire H1-B if they can't find an American to do it, you're doing it, you're Amreican, their activity is illegal.

Tell your employer that, and that you have a lawyer. Update your resume. Try to screw everything you an out of your fascist employer (they may pay you to go away, to be quiet, whatever; take it). Then FUCK THEM IN COURT.

The only way to make this stop it to make it cost them LOTS of money, far more than they think it will save.

Re: Rajiv..

[hackwrench]

They don't care if you can get a new job on short notice. They're planning to lay you off anyways.

From what I have been able to piece together, many Indian people's first language is an Indian English dialect, which is more different from the US/UK/Aus dialects than they are from each other. It can make for some "interesting but stupid" exchanges. What's worse, they are worse than the American stereotype of expecting non-Indian speakers to be able to follow their "crisp" Indian English dialect. They've even got a peculiar notion about self-promotion. What any other person would call self-promotion, they would say is not unless it fits into a strict set of circumstances I'm not particularly clear on.

Re:Rajiv..

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone else suggested giving incorrect information in the training -- I wouldn't go that far, hm, incomplete might be ok.

Incomplete or misleading is fine in this situation. If they come back after you're gone and want more information, tell them you'd be happy to help for a consulting fee of $1000 per hour (top lawyer rates) or part of an hour, paid in advance, whether their problem(s) are solved or not.

Re:Rajiv..

[jma05]

Pi already has a well known approximation - 22/7 (1 in 800).

Re:Rajiv..

[jma05]

Never mind - Just found out 355/113 is also a well known approximation.

Re:Rajiv..

[plopez]

This is yet another reason I want to get out of the business.

Re:Rajiv..

[plopez]

Another way to do it is to
1) write up the documentation
2) run him through it once on a simple example
3) give him a complex task
4) when he screws up be sure everyone knows about it.
5) If you are confronted just say "I thought you hired a qualified person".

Re:Rajiv..

[guyniraxn]

Very true. When you're unemployed, you're tainted goods. This view from employers was prevalent even during the height of the most recent recession .

Re:Rajiv..

[__aaclcg7560]

When you're unemployed, you're tainted goods.

Unless, of course, an employer need bodies to fill positions to get the job done. I was out of work for two years (2009-2010), where recruiters told me I was unemployable for anything and hiring managers told me I was overqualified for minimum wage jobs. That changed in 2011 when recruiters and employers couldn't find enough people to fill their open positions. At that point, they became less picky and started hiring again.

Re:Rajiv..

[roc97007]

I know. I know! But I can't. If it's traced back it would be bad for me.

can't the state do something about this?

[Trepidity]

It's a state-regulated energy company. Is the DoJ really necessary here? Can't the state introduce some regulations about how its energy companies operate, e.g. regarding outsourcing or gag agreements?

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[PPH]

Can't the state introduce some regulations

I'm pretty sure that the company (or any company faced with the same) will just cry "Muh interstate commerce!" and try to slide out from under any state regulations. Hence the feds.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Penguinisto]

Makes sense, but a state still has ultimate control over whether that company can do business within that state, correct? Otherwise, state regulation would be worthless and toothless.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[liquid_schwartz]

Makes sense, but a state still has ultimate control over whether that company can do business within that state, correct? Otherwise, state regulation would be worthless and toothless.

The ability of states to regulate much of anything has been reduced through the years. It helps that the Federal Supreme court gets to decide what the Federal government can and cannot do. Do doubt if a state's Supreme Court was deciding things would be different.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Feyshtey]

It's still relevant at a federal level. H1-B visa's are likely the reason the foreign workers could take the domestic jobs. So federal law and/or policy is at the root of the situation.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Does the state want to do something about this?

Check the donations from the utility to politicians in the state.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Anonymous Coward]

The state officials won't work because they're already bought and paid for.

Buying off the DOJ is a bit more difficult, but this is an election year so it shouldn't be that difficult.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Feyshtey]

There are over 1000 cases of classified data in Hillary's email and there are FBI agents that say they have 4 times what they need for a successful prosecution. And you don't think the DOJ is bought and paid for?

Fascinating.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[youngone]

Eversource has a very large in-house legal team and an active Political Action Committee in Washington.

This was the line I took out of the article. Sounds like the company will get the Feds to write the rules that suits them best.

I have always assumed that's the point of a PAC.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Trepidity]

It depends on the state and how they structure the sector, but they often have more leverage over utility companies than they would over a normal company. Utility companies typically have contracts with the state or with the state's utility districts, which at least in principle they could attach various requirements to.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[publiclurker]

you wouldn't mind naming some of those agents, would you? And no Breitbart is not a legitimate source among grownups.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[riverat1]

Were any of those "1000 cases" of classified data actually classified and marked as such when they arrived in Clinton's mailbox? None that I've heard of. In that case it's not something Clinton should be prosecuted for.

Re: can't the state do something about this?

[Anonymous Coward]

dunno where the op got his reference but the simple statements that "she never [communicated] information marked as classified" is clearly a dodge, i.e she whited out or edited the classificafion info not the document content, AND the announcement that some of the data she communicated would be considered classified is all thats needed, obviously they will not release said dat la.because it has been assesed classified...hell their defense is that the classification rules are overly strict....google it otherwize stfu vs trying to insuate doubt since thebpost wasnt made with references.....i jave done it many times and have debunked or validated many claims and it takes about 2 google searches on average...bing and yahoo ymmv

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Feyshtey]

How about Reuters : http://www.reuters.com/article...

The new stamps indicate that some of Clinton's emails from her time as the nation's most senior diplomat are filled with a type of information the U.S. government and the department's own regulations automatically deems classified from the get-go — regardless of whether it is already marked that way or not.

And this from August of last year. Yet this DOJ refuses to even appoint a special prosecutor to even give an appearance of taking the alllegations seriously.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Anonymous Coward]

Were any of those "1000 cases" of classified data actually classified and marked as such when they arrived in Clinton's mailbox? None that I've heard of. In that case it's not something Clinton should be prosecuted for.

It's not quite that simple.
First, if a document / email / etc. contains classified information at the SECRET or higher level, but is marked UNCLASSIFIED, it is still spillage. That's part of the reason why properly marked documents have a classification for each paragraph. It gets that anal.

Second, speaking as someone who does / has held both Secret and Top Secret clearances (which is why I am posting anonymously), a person with those clearances is expected to be able to identify when material MAY have been marked with the incorrect classification. Not everything, every time; that is a function of experience and training.

Perhaps even more importantly, if she is claiming to have this great breadth of experience working in government as a rational of why she is qualified for the office of POTUS, then she cannot also claim that the material in those emails sent on an unclassified system never made her stop to think "Gee... it is possible that this is information shouldn't be on an UNCLASS system?" What would be her argument... "Gee, I guess I just don't have enough experience to ask the question to the right people, just to be sure?"

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[PPH]

States (utility commissions) generally regulate the relationship between the company and the customers (state residents). Things like utility rates, terms of service, etc. Everything on the back end (subcontractors, labor negotiations, etc.) works pretty much the same as any other private company doing business in that state or across state lines.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[dbIII]

What do you expect in a place where selling weapons to Iran and Hezbolla is "patriotism" and beating a Russian at chess is "treason"? The aristocrats can do no wrong.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Feyshtey]

Exactly right. The arguments are :
1) I wasn't qualified enough to know that this information was classified, and didn't treat it with it's appropriate care.
2) I knew but didn't care enough to treat the classified information appropriately.
3) I knew but felt that I was special and didnt have to treat it appropriately.

None of the above gives a glowing recommendation to be POTUS.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Feyshtey]

How about NPR ( http://www.npr.org/2016/01/08/... )

One particular email drew scrutiny Friday — a June 17, 2011, exchange between Clinton and adviser Jake Sullivan. In that email string, she tells Sullivan she did not receive the evening's talking points — typically specifics used to speak to the press and for briefings.

"They say they've had issues sending secure fax. They're working on it," he writes to Clinton. She responds, "If they can't, turn into nonpaper w no identifying heading and send nonsecure."

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[KGIII]

Hmm... Yeah, sounds mostly spot-on. Additionally, some information is considered classified, even without having been marked as such specifically, because of where it came from. I've no idea if any of the content was on that level but an example is that unedited photos from certain satellites is classified by default. She had an obligation (a lawful mandate, as I recall) to stop and classify that material herself, if authorized to do so, or to hand it back if not - then filling out the spillage forms just in case.

However, I'd like to remind folks that she did so because the internal email system was difficult to work with. She was not the only person to do this. Others did the same, or similar, things as it was a bitch to deal with the email system that they had.

Why point that out? Well, she was wearing the boss' hat. As such, she had the obligation to have that system repaired. She had the duty to delegate authority to have it fixed and the obligation to work within the system and follow-up to ensure those tasked with the repairs did their job properly. That's what bosses do. Presidents don't fix email systems themselves. They tell someone else to fix it and make sure it gets fixed. Or, more accurately, someone else does that at their behest but the boss is still accountable as they're the one that picked the person to do that job.

That, even as much as the content itself, is significant. Instead of fixing a known broken system, she worked outside of the system (and was not alone in doing so), and allowed the poor system to remain in place which led to this even being a conversation in the first place. Rather than argue about the classification level of the data, how about we acknowledge that the lady has clearly demonstrated that she is incapable of being a leader? That's not even something that any reasonable person would try to debate.

Ah well... I'm still pissed about the OPM attack. Why the hell they had my data on a live, networked, system some 15+ years after its use is beyond me. However, in all fairness, that's not her fault and only tangentially related. I do not recall all of the training on handling classified data, it has been a long time, but I'm pretty sure that I'd be in a heap of trouble for having just risked data spillage. More importantly, I'd have been in all sorts of trouble (multiple times in multiple ways) for failing to be a responsible leader. There are repercussions for doing poorly while you're supposed to be delegating authority and making decisions. At least there have always been repercussions in my life.

However, I don't think I'll post this as an AC. Fuck it... I said it. I own it. I might even make a mistake sometimes. I own those too and I'm not the boss of anything important. It's accountability, though trivial, and a good thing. She's demonstrated she doesn't want to be accountable and is not an acceptable leader. Leaders make choices and delegate authority, not work outside the system while the system languishes. Leaders make choices and then accept responsibility for them. Leaders don't have to know everything, they have to know that they're not smart enough to know everything and to be willing to ask for, and accept, advice. Hillary is not an acceptable leader and her race, gender, or even her political philosophy have not one damned thing to do with that.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[bytesex]

So, information that was going to be public (press talking points) was somehow classified? I don't know anything about the case, but I do know about working with classified information and for all I know, they are talking about the release mechanisms that they have at their disposal at that point in time. And that the tech isn't cooperating.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[AchilleTalon]

There is already regulations for this. H1-B visas are for jobs you cannot find an American citizen to fill it. In this case, this job is already filled by an American citizen. This is simply illegal.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Anonymous Coward]

Jesus Christ, I can't tell you enough how spot-on this is.

This is why I have so much trouble with people who support Hillary and then cast shit like this aside.

Either she's experienced enough to know better, or she's crooked enough not to care.

Neither looks good, both should make her look EXTREMELY shady to anyone who's paying attention.

-LaurenC

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Feyshtey]

RTFA.

The next sentence reads:

Much of the email, including its subject line, were redacted, making it difficult to discern the topic and full context of the document.

Talking points are useless without context. The context could very well have been classified, and wouldnt have specifically been what would be shared with the press. State decided the information was sensitive enough to redact it before release, so it would not have been included in what was shared to the press at the time.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[oh_my_080980980]

H1B Visa is a Federal program. Thus the DOJ is the one that is responsible for conducting an investigation. States can pursue their own investigation based on their labor laws. This has nothing to do with regulating energy but rather labor.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[oh_my_080980980]

States do not regulate Federal programs. H1B Visas is a Federal program. States could investigate under their own labor laws and whether or not businesses were given special tax consideration based on employment.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Coren22]

FYI, from what I have read, the TS level documents had to do with HUMINT. It is classified from the source, but somewhere along the lines the classification was removed. Whoever removed the markings is in deep shit, as that is a serious federal crime.

https://www.google.com/search?...
(pick your source, some people don't like many sources for some reason...)

HUMINT is always TS - HCS, as the release of such data would lead to the asset becoming exposed and either killed or jailed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

This was a serious breach, and as an "Original Classification Authority", Hillary was expected to understand what should and shouldn't be classified, so either she is incompetent, or negligent, or she was intentionally breaking the law.

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[KGIII]

Heh, my memory's not too bad - I actually recalled that but I did not know that it was HUMINT. That means someone had to declassify it - an authorized person. Well, she's certainly authorized (and had an obligation, legal I think) to ensure that it was classified properly. That's a different bit of knowledge, thanks. I've read so many conflicting things and I'm not sure we'll ever know the full truth.

Aside: I did chuckle at the OT moderation. I'm pretty sure it was on-topic (a rarity for me). I suspect that means I've ruffled someone's jimmies. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to, but I see that as a good thing. Think before you vote, people. Think!

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Coren22]

My understanding is that the state department wasn't the original classification authority, so they did not have the authority to declassify something that did not originate in the state department, so whoever did it is in big trouble.

It is kind of off topic as the topic is some power company using H1B's illegally, but if it wasn't for offtopic conversations, would Slashdot even have a comment section?

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Anonymous Coward]

Your understanding, such as it is, is that of a limited menial which apk demonstrated by destroying you publicly http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

Re:can't the state do something about this?

[Coren22]

Destroyed your wet paper bag again? You really should try to keep it from getting damaged so quick. So, when will you start addressing the issues I brought up with your solution?

Time for unions!

[Joe_Dragon]

Time for unions! and time for enforce the H1-B laws.

Re:Time for unions!

[Penguinisto]

What would a union do? Strikes don't happen at government-regulated utilities the same way they do at a wholly private company. Don't believe me? Look up PATCO and see what happened. Of course, utilities are quasi-private and under state (not federal control), but it's still quite doable.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

US H1B laws are highly restrictive anyway. Difficult and expensive to change jobs, spouse can't work (even voluntary work), have to leave the country to renew the visa etc etc. Compared with other rich nations including UK and most EU countries, the H1B visas requirements are simultaneously byzantine and draconian.

Re:Time for unions!

[Joe_Dragon]

and yet the part saying that they can only be used if they can't find a US worker to do the job is abused and not enforced

Re:Time for unions!

[Feyshtey]

Unions are not a solution to this. What are you going to do? Strike? You already lost the jobs.

And what do you mean by enforcing H1-B laws? That's what allowed the workers in. Unless you mean to saw, rewrite H1-B laws and increase the qualification requirements?

Re:Time for unions!

[Feyshtey]

We can discuss this again when you're training your replacement.

Re:Time for unions!

[Locke2005]

The person that writes the job description pretty much determines whether or not a US worker can be found. Just add "speaks fluent Hindi or Mandarin" as a requirement, and see how many US citizens qualify!

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

A union would get all workers not to train their replacements. A strike, or just flat out refusal to do this, would at least tip the calculus a bit back towards keeping the local workers.

Re:Time for unions!

[Feyshtey]

No, it would eliminate the severance the workers would have gotten if they'd agreed to an organized transition. That's how these companies do things. They dangle a ransom out there for the workers and then make them sign the gag orders as well, as a term of severance. So the workers could strike, yes. But garaunteed there would be an appreciable percentage who stayed for the final payout, and trained everyone's workers.

And anyone who thinks the company is considering the output of the new employees as a critical factor in the transition has never called an Indian help desk call center.

Re:Time for unions!

[MrKaos]

What would a union do? Strikes don't happen at government-regulated utilities the same way they do at a wholly private company.

They would lobby politicians at state and federal levels so that strikes are unnecessary.

Another thing I imagine a union *could* do is negotiate with employers so that H1B visas are implemented more equitably. There maybe a genuine need for them however that shouldn't mean that young local talent should be denied opportunities to get a foot hold with their careers, a union *could* negotiate on their behalf. It could also anonymously by-pass gag orders such as these so that the truth about the conditions are know. It could also look at stale, but talented people and identify what training the need to secure new opportunities.

Whilst it has been unpopular to talk about IT unions it's probably time to step out of the outmoded thinking that suggests that any IT union would be the same as a union that deals with unskilled professionals. We are not, and I can't see IT professionals in a picket line. I can see them being smart enough to take a long view with issues and have an union defend their interests. Individually we have no power and the types of laws we are being subjected to suggest we are not taken seriously as other professionals who have organizations that look after their political interests.

I feel it's a little naive to think we are all so special and great that we don't need anyone arguing for us within the upper echelons of power. Taking the worst fears of what a union is and suggesting that is an argument for not having them is why we are in the situation we are now. We should be looking to the behaviors we want in a union and charter it so that's how it behaves. We either shape our future or have it shaped for us.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually time to eliminate the H1-B visas altogether! There is not now nor has there ever been a shortage trained tech workers here in the U.S.
Just companies too greedy to pay them a decent salary so that they can pay off their student loans before retirement!

Re:Time for unions!

[sabri]

have to leave the country to renew the visa etc etc

But you only have to renew the visa if you leave the country.

Confused? The visa in the passport is not directly connected to being lawfully in the U.S. If your petition expires, the employer can file for an extension. If the petition is extended, the alien is legally present, despite having an expired visa. The visa is only relevant when applying for admission in a port of entry (read: when coming back to the U.S. from a foreign trip).

In short, if the alien is not planning any trips abroad, the visa expire without any problem.

Re: Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

difficult for who? the company with consultants to provide guidance on loopholes or the workers....hint tough on workers doesnt matter to companies. many skilled and unskillex laboreres will take thebabuse to horde money and go back home with a cash advantage.

Re:Time for unions!

[walterbyrd]

Without a union, management forces IT worker to train their H1B replacements. There is nothing that an IT worker can effectively do to stop it.

With a union: IT workers say: you pull that bullshit, and we *all* walk out right now. There would be nothing management could do, except stop the bullshit.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

Or just hire a contractor to do the training and still end up saving money with their H1B hires, especially since they no longer have to pay severance if they walk off.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

Unions are not a solution to this. What are you going to do? Strike? You already lost the jobs.

Or maybe not. Unions are corporations and have the kind of assets that corporations can bring to bear - including hiring a lot of expensive legal help that would be unaffordable to individual employees trying to challenge the company one-against-many.

Re:Time for unions!

[Feyshtey]

Why should anyone be required to lean on an union to litigate a pretty obvious violation of H1-B visa? Or to file suit for wrongful termination? Or half a dozen other legal arguments? There are realistically hundreds of thousands of layers in the US slavering over the payouts of a civil rights lawsuit like this. They dont need a union. They just need to suck up start researching their own rights and the legal avenues available to them. They don't need some union siphoning their paycheck and then doing nothing more than trying to increase the paycheck only to ensure higher dues payed them.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

Look we are all in IT and we all know how it works.

At the moment, everyone is looking for good IT people. If it goes the standard way, they hurt for good IT and the wadges go up so we change jobs. Then to save money the company outsources it and we look for a new job.

So next job, when they are laying out the benefits lets take a chapter from the CEO's play book. You want me and need my skills, you are willing to pay for my skills and provide me with a benefits package including insurance, time off, etc. You say it is a permanent job. Put your money where your mouth is, as part of my benefits package I want a golden parachute of no less than 2 years salary.

Don't tell me you can't do it because we all know you do it for the executives!

Re:Time for unions!

[KGIII]

The time for unions is long-since past. Even if there were unions, most people are missing the key point. The reasons for unions was "solidarity."

The time for a formal union has passed. The time for solidarity is now. The problem is, few are willing to risk what they have for the sake of what another is losing. (Oddly, they still wonder why nobody comes to their aid when it is their turn to be the loser and some are inclined to think they'll never be the loser.)

Now's the time for solidarity and that's just not going to happen. Are you going to walk off your job to support these guys? Not a chance. Even if you would, someone will happily take the job you vacated and probably do it for less than you. Solidarity is a big, and difficult, thing. You do not see it often. Sadly, even with ubiquitous communication, instances of solidarity seem to be decreasing as opposed to increasing. A union can't fix that.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

There is nothing that an IT worker can effectively do to stop it.

Really? My cattle-prod, shovel, roll of carpet and bag of quicklime says otherwise.

Re:Time for unions!

[AchilleTalon]

H1-B visas are tricky here. You can easily craft a job no one would like to do by just offering a low wage compare to the industry. Then, the employer can justify the need for H1-B visas since no one shown up at hiring interviews. The H1-B visas are mainly used to keep the salaries low. I hope they will soon issue H1-B visas to recruit physicians and see what will happen.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

I disagree. If the company were paying for training, it's because they found there to be a benefit worth at least that much money in the training. Probably much more. Otherwise you wouldn't pay for it. So, make the training more and more expensive - at some point, sure, it might become not worth it on the company's part, but since they've already attached a financial value to training, it must be worth at least that much to them.

A union may or may not fix the issue, that's for sure, but a wider union of workers could threaten to all strike on being replaced by H1B workers. If it were big enough to stall the company for a little while, you might find fewer of your jobs being lost to the H1Bs. Of course the real solution to this is political, but a union would also buy you more political clout.

Re:Time for unions!

[Feyshtey]

None of it is logical. Don't you get that? Do you think it's going to result in better products? Better support? More smooth inner-workings of the company? Better internal communication? No. This is a common example of management by spreadsheet, where the predicted gross profits are the only driving factor in the decision.

The reality is that often the whole paradigm will cost the company more money in the long-term, if only in the lost revenues from customers who refuse to by the garbage their product has become. But it doesn't stop them from driving forward so that the CEO who happened to be at the helm that year can show on that years assets that they reduced labor costs by a factor of X, takes a huge bonus for that year, and when he or she is fired when the rest of the shit hits the fan they still get a nice multi-million dollar parachute on their exit.

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

I get that you don't think it's logical, but I dispute that it's entirely illogical. The CEO wants to maximize his take home pay. Which means maximizing profits at least in the short term. The rest (better support etc) are pointless to the argument, I agree.

The point I'm making is that there has been a calculation of how valuable to the company training the incoming employees is. Let's call this number X. Then there's how much you have to pay to get the training done. That's Y. If Y>X you don't do the training.

A union can force Y up close to X, so at least maximize the payoff to the laid off. Or it can tell all workers to go on strike. That not only costs the firm Y for the H1Bs but also loses the company A (the losses from everyone walking out tomorrow). From the CEO's perspective the calculus is now is Z bigger than A+X rather than simply is Z bigger than Y. If you make A high enough (more members of the union) you can make the replacement simply not an option.

Of course this doesn't work if the CEO is stupid. But I don't think they are, just very self interested. A union helps you keep that self interest in line with the workers interest.

Re:Time for unions!

[oh_my_080980980]

Ever hear of lobbyists. You know the ones that represent every industry. Labor Unions could lobby Congress to investigate H1B Visas and make changes. As it stands these are isolated incidences which carry very little political weight unless an organization brings it to the attention of Congress and makes it a political issue.

Re:Time for unions!

[oh_my_080980980]

You really are a moron or shall we say troll. Ever hear of lobbyists. Labor Unions could lobby Congress to investigate H1B Visas and make changes. Change and enforcement is at the Federal level. Congress is not going to act unless these violation are presented to them in a systemic issue and not one off cases. Fuck off.

Re:Time for unions!

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

Because unions worked so well to keep physical auto worker and steel worker and clothing worker jobs here.

So when applied to jobs that don't need a physical teardown of equipment to move, but merely the push of a button, what could possibly go wrong!

Re:Time for unions!

[Anonymous Coward]

Well said Sir.

It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[MikeRT]

The company forced them to train their replacements, who are non-citizens brought in to the do the same job cheaper because the utility is run by people who apparently feel it's fine to sell out their own countrymen to make a buck.

I don't know what's so mysterious about this. It is what it is. The only question is what are you going to do about it?

I have a really simple solution. Abolish corporate taxes in their current form and replace them with a head count tax. Every US citizen is, say, $1000/year. Every legal immigrant is $2500. Every foreign national abroad, including contract workers on outsourced work, gets a fee of $5,000. If at any time, more than 25% of your work is either performed by subsidiaries or outsourcing firms based overseas that has a sales or some other nexus into the US, you pay FICA on your global workforce including contracted employees.

So carrot and stick. A big, incredibly sweet looking carrot and a stick that has nails driven into it because we want to make the choice obvious.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[Locke2005]

That's a good idea, actually. Tax them for using foreign workers by an amount that exceeds the disparity in wages between foreign and US citizen workers. I'd go for about twice the difference, just to be sure.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[Anonymous Coward]

That would be an "oh fuck" moment for a lot of tax-dodging corporations.

He who has the gold makes the rules. It's the capitalist golden-rule. And the US market is the juiciest market for most companies. It may not always stay that way, but the US government should take their pound of flesh while they can. It may actually prolong the prime taxable era for them.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[Anonymous Coward]

Every US citizen is, say, $1000/year. Every legal immigrant is $2500. Every foreign national abroad, including contract workers on outsourced work, gets a fee of $5,000.

The entire point of outsourcing and H1b abuse is that you can hire people who will work for far less than US citizens. If the salary discrepancy between a US citizen and (let's say) an outsourced Indian employee was less than $4k/year, companies probably wouldn't bother outsourcing in the first place.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[Tablizer]

because the utility is run by people who apparently feel it's fine to sell out their own countrymen to make a buck.

But I don't want to have to depend on company altruism for these kinds of things to not happen. If they don't do it, their competitors will and they'll then be punished for NOT trying to make a buck. You'll be punishing the altruistic ones.

I'd rather see the law changed or clarified to make sure it does ONLY what it's supposed to do: fill actual labor shortages instead of fake shortages to save a buck or have docile workers who can't practically shop around or complain. (I've seen H1B abuses with my own eyes. I personally know they happen.)

This includes more thorough auditing and inspections. For example, all rejected citizen resumes should be saved for say 5 years, along with the reason for rejection. And disallow long chain-combo's such as "must have paid experience in A and in B and in C and in D and in E, etc.".

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[NormalVisual]

If the salary discrepancy between a US citizen and (let's say) an outsourced Indian employee was less than $4k/year, companies probably wouldn't bother outsourcing in the first place.

Sure they would. In addition to the (illegal) discrepancies in pay that some companies implement, H-1Bs are perceived as more compliant - the employer can always hang the threat of cancelling their visa sponsorship over their heads, so they won't talk back and can't just leave for another U.S. company.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[dbIII]

Good idea, but you'll just end up with a lot of illegal migrants off the books doing the work :(
One problem is that "small government" by design is about having too few people watching what is going on for any sort of regulation to work.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[bennebw]

Your rates are an incredible bargain give corporate tax rates are ~40% in US. You need to multiply your rates by a factor of 5 to 10X and then you'd be in the right ball park.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[fnj]

The company forced them to train their replacements

Bullshit. They BRIBED them to train their replacements by giving them a severance payment if they do so. There is a difference. How could "forcing" them possibly work?

You have to train some new people who are going to replace you.
Bullshit. You're firing me anyway; I refuse.
[Idiot employer stammers uselessly]

But the bribe works just fine.

You have to train some new people who are going to replace you - and if you do, you will get a severance payment; otherwise nothing.
OK

When my employer laid me off, I didn't have to train my replacement, but they did get me to sign an agreement not to do/say certain things after separation, for a period of time.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[gtall]

Won't work. Companies will just find ways to incorporate outside the U.S. and its laws. It means they won't be able to rely on the U.S. justice system for other things, but then maybe not getting sued because some employed stabbed their finger with a mechanical pencil won't bother them.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[AmiMoJo]

Why not just make H1-B workers equal to US workers in terms of rights and costs? Remove the only incentives to hire them, other than if you really can't find a US worker to do the job. Same salary, same employment rights, no loss of visa to hang over their heads (you could mandate a fixed term visa, for example).

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[Anonymous Coward]

I've claimed that the indentured servitude is the larger point. I've read several stories of legal immigrants with green cards who, when it was discovered that they wouldn't need a H1B, had their offers withdrawn. I've always claimed that if it was a "shortage" of skilled workers that was driving the H1B, then give them a green card on arrival (I think I remember that being proposed one time, and congress then killed it, surprise). Of course, that would remove the reason that employers want the H1B, although the (illegal) cheaper wages is a benefit on top.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[Bob the Super Hamste]

While your concept is good it would still have the effect of depressing wages which is what the H-1B program is used for.

My idea on the whole issue is different and I am even willing to take the companies at their word. So:
1. The companies always claim that they can't find people who can do the work or can't train them in time so they have to bring in foreign workers.
2. This tells us two things. The first is that these are some very highly specialized skills that apparently no one in a country of about 320 million has. Also it tells us that these skills are extremely critical for the company more so than even the skills of those at the CxO level since they don't have time to train someone, yet companies can go without a permanent CEO for quite some time.
3. The H-1B is a temporary worked program not a permanent worker program. .

So my proposal is that companies can bring in H-1Bs provided that they are the highest compensated individuals at the company they work for and that they are the highest compensated person at the company they are doing work for. This means total compensation including, base pay, stock options, vacation, expense accounts, medical, relocation, company travel, etc. For huge companies they can afford this since they are huge, but even for small companies who need one person for one job one time it would still be possible to get the one person as they are a small company and typically don't have huge payroll anyway. Make this change and we will see just how critical H-1Bs are. I have no doubt that there are cases where there is an actual need but like everyone else around here I see the abuse of the system.

I frequently write my worker hating congress critters but my war hawk Representative, John Kline, who never responds to messages on this topic same with Senator Al Franken. My other Senator Amy Klobuchar actually seems actively hostile towards skilled labor as she has been one of the main supporters of expanding or removing the existing H-1B caps.

Re:It's pretty obvious what happened to them

[Anonymous Coward]

Every US citizen is, say, $1000/year. Every legal immigrant is $2500. Every foreign national abroad, including contract workers on outsourced work, gets a fee of $5,000. If at any time, more than 25% of your work is either performed by subsidiaries or outsourcing firms based overseas that has a sales or some other nexus into the US, you pay FICA on your global workforce including contracted employees.

So then if the difference between the foreign national's salary and the U.S. worker's salary is $4,000 it makes sense for the company to outsource your job. Got it. And if FICA mattered at all, it would make no difference if it were being paid on the U.S. worker or the outsourced worker.

Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't like it? Go live in North Korea.

Re:Capitalism!

[Feyshtey]

This is not an example of capitalism. In fact, we're not much of a capitalistic nation anymore. Not since government started placing artificial intensives and disincentives for various business activities, many of which are arbitrary, lack objectively provable benefits, and which inherently place one type of market, product or worker at an advantage over others.

Re:Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

Or stop playing the victim game, get a new job while still employed, give a two-week notice to old employer, and get a 30% pay raise from new employer.

Re: Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

You libertarians drive me nuts sometimes, and you have to be one to call this the 'victim game'. You know what? When companies do illegal things they need to be held to account for it. That's not playing the victim game. That's standing up for what's right, and there's not enough of that in this country, which is how all this crap gets started in the first place

Re:Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

Or stop playing the victim game, get a new job while still employed, give a two-week notice to old employer, and get a 30% pay raise from new employer.

Oh that's cute, he thinks that you'll always get paid more just for leaving an old job.

Re:Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

Oh that's cute, he thinks that you'll always get paid more just for leaving an old job.

As an I.T. support contractor for the last ten years, I got paid more money with every new assignment. In fact, I had to turn down a job because a former coworker still worked at the company, made the same amount of money as I did when I worked with him nine years before, and my starting pay rate was 80% higher than his. Those 2% raises just don't add up over time. The job that I did accept paid $8 per hour more and provided a full benefit package.

Re: Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

That's standing up for what's right, and there's not enough of that in this country, which is how all this crap gets started in the first place

You want to play the hero, get fired and have a pity party, knock yourself out. My obligation tis to put food on the table by bringing home the money. That's capitalism, baby.

Re:Capitalism!

[Ol Olsoc]

This is not an example of capitalism. In fact, we're not much of a capitalistic nation anymore.

Because that's what happens to capitalism. As soon as someone gets enough capital, they want to keep and increase it. A system acknowledged to be built on greed means without any controls, the greediest wins. And there is no limit. Then there may be a revolt.

Capitalism has the seeds of success, but just like a formula one engine, it needs help to keep it from blowing itself to bits. Do some research on the boom and bust nature of pure Capitalism, and notice how especially in earlier times in the US, there were roughly 2 year cycles of boom and bust.

Any "ism" i it's pure form will destroy itself. Except for pragmatism. Pragmatism only deals with things that work.

Which makes it pretty rare these days, especially as those with great financial interests manage to play on idealism. There are people in the USA who believe that Capitalism is based on the Baksheesh paid to politicians to ensure that those who pay it remain in favor and wealth. So - it's complicated, but yeah, it isn't capitalism.

Re: Capitalism!

[Ol Olsoc]

You libertarians drive me nuts sometimes, and you have to be one to call this the 'victim game'. You know what? When companies do illegal things they need to be held to account for it. That's not playing the victim game.

That's because present day libertarians are merely Republicans who are selfish pricks, who can't put up with anyone telling them what to do

Re: Capitalism!

[Ol Olsoc]

That's standing up for what's right, and there's not enough of that in this country, which is how all this crap gets started in the first place

You want to play the hero, get fired and have a pity party, knock yourself out. My obligation tis to put food on the table by bringing home the money. That's capitalism, baby.

I am glad to finally get hold of someone who has all of the answers, as well as has great clairvoyant powers.

What do you do, if the company replaces you and gives you the bum's rush escort by either security or the police? No notice, just 15 minutes to clear the desk and you are out on the street. Because its standard procedure these days.You must have a good resume to be hired in that 15 minutes.

Anyhow, your ideas are very interesting - I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:Capitalism!

[NormalVisual]

Except for pragmatism. Pragmatism only deals with things that work.

That's still a problem, though, because you have to establish a standard of "what works". Pragmatically, the current system works wonderfully for those with money and power, but not nearly as well for the average citizen.

Re: Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

What do you do, if the company replaces you and gives you the bum's rush escort by either security or the police? No notice, just 15 minutes to clear the desk and you are out on the street.

That personally has never happened to me. But I had a string of one-year contracts ended after nine months because I did my job too well.

You must have a good resume to be hired in that 15 minutes.

Hired in 15 minutes? No. Hired in less than 24 hours that the HR paperwork wasn't finalized yet? Yes. I do keep my resume updated and active on all the job search boards, and I typically get ~20 phone calls per day from recruiters. That's somewhat annoying considering that I now work for the government and my contract is fully funded for the next four years.

Anyhow, your ideas are very interesting - I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind.

Re: Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

That's because present day libertarians are merely Republicans who are selfish pricks, who can't put up with anyone telling them what to do

Eli the Computer Guy on YouTube has made the argument that I.T. workers need to be assholes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_YaNGzplbE

Re:Capitalism!

[Ol Olsoc]

Except for pragmatism. Pragmatism only deals with things that work. That's still a problem, though, because you have to establish a standard of "what works". Pragmatically, the current system works wonderfully for those with money and power, but not nearly as well for the average citizen.

We can observe what happens in the world. I have observed that highly idealistic isms tend to fail, usually because of some fundamental mistakes in determining human nature, as well as ideology needing to become ever more "pure".

Communism does not allow for the inherent wish for humans to advance themselves.

Fundamentalist religion allows for no compromise, and it's need tor enemies and ever increasing purity eventually kills it.

Capitalism, which relies on the greed factor, if unchecked means that once enough capital is obtained, those who have attained it seek to destroy the free market. This should be self evident as the drive that produces the wealth will end up making the most greedy accumulating as much of the wealth as possible, and often by any means.

Socialism comes close, but only because it is the closest to pragmatism. Problem is, there are so many definitions of socialism these days, we have to evaaluate. on a case by case basis.

Libertarianism is another ism that is a little difficult at this point to evaluate, because what passes for modern libertarianism is just a quirky form of Republicanism. I'll note that the downfall of traditional Libertarianism is a miscalculation of human nature, assuming everyone is intelligent and law abiding. Perhaps they would stand a better chance if they didn't have to pander to the social conservative base of the party they choose to identify with. It's been sickening to watch Rand Paul try to pander to the religious right http://crooksandliars.com/2015..., Play George Bush the third by doing the aircraft carrier tough guy biz http://dailycaller.com/2015/03... - the only thing missing was the "Mission Accomplished banner! Then he forgot that there is no compromise, no room for anything that he is told that he has to believe, because if you do not do exactly that, this happens to you. http://teejaw.com/rand-paul-ju....

Actual Libertarianism is not compatible with the Republican party.

And if I'm tough on Paul, he deserves it. Libertarianism comes closest to pragmatism, as long as you remember that you can't run a pure ideology. So in my heretical pick and choose pragmatism, Capitalism with brakes to protect itself from itself, coupled with Libertarianism with it's willingness to respect the individual's rights and obligations (not what currently goes for Libertarianism, and progressive understanding that there are some things that should not be run for profit, and some that should. Banks and producing goods should always be run for profit - health care should not, makes for a pretty good version of pragmatism.

I also have this weird idea that a country becomes wealthy by having as many people have money as possible, not by concentrating it in the hands of a few. And this is not done by taking money from the wealthy at all, but by having as much of the populous enjoy the fruits of their labors by pecuniary renumeration as possible. People with money buy the stuff the job creators make. The present situation of making as many Americans as poor as possible, and having me the taxpayer make up for the shitty wages some industry wants to pay is a race to the bottom.

Pragmatism - its not just for breakfast any more.

Re:Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

Capitalism, in engineering terms, is based on positive feedback loops in the market itself. The bigger you are, the bigger you can become. No government assistance required.

Re:Capitalism!

[Darinbob]

DOJ: Explain again why you lobbed a nuclear weapon at your chief competitor's headquarters?
Corporation: It was a business decision necessary to appease the stock holders.
DOJ: Well, I guess that's ok, but we'll still have to fine you $1000 for for disrupting traffic.
Corporation: Fair enough.

Re:Capitalism!

[Darinbob]

The two week notice is not strictly necessary.

Re: Capitalism!

[careysub]

What do you do, if the company replaces you and gives you the bum's rush escort by either security or the police? No notice, just 15 minutes to clear the desk and you are out on the street. Because its standard procedure these days.You must have a good resume to be hired in that 15 minutes.

Even this is more than you may get. Your boss (or HR) might intercept you coming back from lunch and point to your stuff (or most/some of it...) in a box on a cart and tell you to hit the bricks. I've seen that done.

Some places just cancel your badge, and you have to ask security why you can't get in. And then you find out. (This sounds even tougher but it actually fallible since your fellow co-workers will usually badge you in when you tell them you left yours on your desk.) I've seen this too.

Re:Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

I try to avoid burning any bridges on the way out. Silicon Valley, in particular, is a very small community. You never know who you will work with again or be your future boss.

Re: Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

Your boss (or HR) might intercept you coming back from lunch and point to your stuff (or most/some of it...) in a box on a cart and tell you to hit the bricks.

I worked at a video game company in Silicon Valley before the dot com bust that transferred a software tester to a development studio in Texas, shut down the studio a month later, and told the guy to hitchhike home if he wanted to come back to California. We took up a collection to get him a Greyhound bus ticket.

Re: Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

I had a company do a fire drill, then the managers came out and picked those that could come back in. Told everyone else over a megaphone that we were laid off.

Re:Capitalism!

[Darinbob]

True, but if you're getting the shaft on the way out do you really want to work the people that did that again?

Re:Capitalism!

[KGIII]

You again!

> Actual Libertarianism is not compatible with the Republican party.

I knew there was a reason I like you. It's funny. You can fit almost any political ideology into Libertarianism *except* for the Randian and the modern US Republican. But, somehow, they managed to do it. Neither one of those two groups is the least bit interested in liberty, not even close. (Though they'll scream and yell about being supporters of freedom, while not actually understanding what the word means.)

The other day, I wrote a piece (a long novella - surprise!) to David T. on this site. I can dig it out if you're interested in figuring out ways to polish it up. I'm one of those strange people who's actually willing to evaluate their position and change it as new information is gathered. So, insight is always a good thing. (But, a lot of work.) It was long because it was trying to articulate what it was that makes a Libertarian. That's not exactly easy as there are some pretty basic things to cover that lots of people don't seem to have spent much time thinking about.

However, that's the most intelligent thing that I've read on Slashdot all day. Oddly, in a politics article...

But you're not only correct, you're completely correct. I'm really not sure who had the bright idea of trying to shoehorn the most inappropriate political ideologies into Libertarianism. Somehow, they've not only managed to do so but they've managed to make it stick. At one time, I was pretty well considered to be on the "loony left" (even by the Democrats) by virtue of my party affiliation. That really wasn't all that many years ago. Today, someone finds out that I'm a Libertarian and they automatically assume that I'm some sort of ultraconservative fan of corporatism who wants to make people adhere to a bunch of religious beliefs. Err... That's so far wrong that it's about as far from correct as possible.

I've been trying to clear up the misconception for years. Ah well...

Many of the people who self-identify as Libertarians are actually just Republicans with a little bit of shame and don't actually know where they belong. I'd suggest they try to make the Tea Party sane. But, it's not like we can stop them from claiming to hold the affiliation and thus representing the party and ideology. We're a bit pragmatic and not really about to institute a "purity test" or take away the microphone.

Re:Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

this is also the guy that spent a couple of years unemployed and filed for bankruptcy because he went so long w/out a job

take employment tips w/a grain of salt!

Re:Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

... have to establish a standard of "what works ...

"... many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. ...", Obi wan Kenobi, SW: Return of the Jedi (1983)

For me, the late teens was discovering that most of what I had been taught in high school involved what should happen. While not subjects at school, this applied most to the topics of sex and employment, which are issues for every teenager. The few cautionary tales I got in primary school, again not about sex and employment, dealt with reality.

Re:Capitalism!

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do you hate America you godless commie ?
I'm serious. You are the reason this great nation is going down the tubes.
Move to Russia.

Re:Capitalism!

[oh_my_080980980]

Blame corporate lobbyists, they're the ones who write the legislation. Google ALEC sometime.

Re:Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

Sometimes you don't have a choice in who you work with. The best course of action is to remain professional at all times.

Re:Capitalism!

[__aaclcg7560]

this is also the guy that spent a couple of years unemployed and filed for bankruptcy because he went so long w/out a job

I'm the guy who spent two years being unemployed because recruiters and hiring managers looked at my resume, saw three-plus years of help desk experience in the last three positions, made the conclusion that I wanted to continue working in help desk, and, "Oh, sorry, we're not hiring for help desk positions," never mind that wasn't the job I applied for. This was during the Great Recession when there were seven job applicants for every job opening. Yes, I did file for chapter seven bankruptcy after exhausting my savings. On the day my bankruptcy got finalized in 2011, I got a new job and then spent the next two years working multiple jobs for seven days a week. When I got my government job, the two-hour investigative interview lasted four hours because the government thinks it is suspicious for someone to work more than one job and I had to list all contract assignments that I've worked since being unemployed.

Re:Capitalism!

[Feyshtey]

Oh, and the union lobbyists are innocent? The ones that make donations to campaigns, and pressure lawmakers into adding pork to bills to give jobs to their union members? That doesnt happen?

I agree that the systems is corrupted by corporations. But your argument is that unions balance the scales by participating equally in the corruption.

Here comes the new boss

[rmdingler]

FWIW, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and his campaign contributors.

Sadly, the industries that give to a politician are impacted the most by the committee(s) the Senator sits on.

It's the bit about H-1B visas that the tech companies were most rallying for. The idea is for companies to be able to attract more of the world's brightest minds in engineering and technology and allow these workers to stay in the U.S. (2013 Bill) The bill was written by a bipartisan group of senators called the "Gang of Eight," which included Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). In the lead up to Senate debate on the bill, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched a political action group called FWD.us to focus on immigration reform. As a result, a deep roster of tech executives banded to together to push the bipartisan policy agenda and change how the U.S. approaches immigration.

The group vowed to work with members of Congress from both parties, the administration, and state and local officials. It has used both online and offline advocacy tools to build support for policy changes. FWD.us' list of heavy hitters includes Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, and many more.

Scum

[Anonymous Coward]

Requiring employees to sign a non-disparagement clause is proof that the leadership of Eversource Energy has no scruples.
If they wanted to indict themselves, they chose a particularly effective method.
The people in charge of this company should be replaced.

Thank you, Richard Blumenthal.

Re:Scum

[Anonymous Coward]

Wouldn't forcing them to sign under such conditions constitute duress?

Re:Scum

[PPH]

They probably just make a severance pay package conditional on signing. Most people will take the money and sign.

Congressional Testimony

[edtice1559]

These agreements don't prevent testifying under oath. Just hold a hearing and subpoena them and they can speak freely without fear of triggering the agreements.

Re:Congressional Testimony

[L. J. Beauregard]

Won't happen. Congressional hearings are for witch hunts against "Democrat Party" officials, not violations of labor law.

Re:Congressional Testimony

[edtice1559]

Too bad I can't mod you up.

Re:Congressional Testimony

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh wow. The poor liberal victim mentality strikes again...

Re:Congressional Testimony

[sconeu]

Where is the investigation into Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice's email servers?

Not to mention that at least 3 people on the Benghazi committee flat out stated the purpose was to sabotage Clinton's campain [DISCLAIMER: I am extremely unlikely to vote for Clinton]

Re:Congressional Testimony

[Anonymous Coward]

What happens when a conservative doesn't get what they want.

Re:Congressional Testimony

[Darinbob]

In California, they complain that the vote was rigged and that illegal immigrants were bused in to the polls, then demand a recount over and over until they're hauled away by the people in the white jackets. A lot of politicians never learned how to lose gracefully while in little league.

Re:Congressional Testimony

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realize a State Department employee died in service, asked for help 600 times and was denied, and then his boss lied in Congressional testimony about it?

I don't think Clinton gets to play the victim card here, she was actually responsible for the death of one of her employees and feels she shouldn't have to answer for it. Link that up with Brian Terry's death, where Holder felt he didn't have to answer to Congress either, and suddenly its beginning to look like the powers in charge are the villains and not Congress who wants to figure out why these people died and what is being done to prevent it.

When you are responsible for the deaths of your employees, don't answer questions about it, you don't get to play the victim card. You are the problem in this situation. No amount of spin will change that. I'm glad we have freedom of speech so that I know you are full of shit and nothing you say about politics can be taken as truthful.

How is gag order enforceable in the first place?

[Locke2005]

Once you've got your severance, can't you bitch about the company online, anonymously? Even if they find out, how are they going to get the money back?

No news here

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps the senator needs to adjust the law.
There is no problem with an H-1B worker displacing a us worker if they pay the H-1B >$60k.
From the dol web site

An exempt H-1B nonimmigrant is an H-1B worker who meets one of the following statutory standards:

  Receives $60,000 annual wages; or
  Has attained a master’s or higher degree (or its equivalent) in a specialty related to the intended H-1B
employment.

What are the advantages to an employer in hiring an exempt H-1B?

H-1B-dependent and willful violator employers which employ only exempt H-1B workers on a Labor Condition
Application (LCA) are relieved from the additional obligations with which they would otherwise be required to
comply: non-displacement, recruitment, and hiring (see WH Fact Sheets #62C, #62M, #62O, and #62P).

Re:No news here

[magarity]

Did you not see the word "or" right after the part about wage amount?

Re:No news here

[Anonymous Coward]

I worked with some H1Bs several companies ago. Became friends with them. They told me they got their masters in CS without ever touching a computer -- they would just watch the instructor use a computer. Completely inept, but they were willing to learn.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[__aaclcg7560]

More likely the ex-employee signed a arbitration clause that will gives the company the upper hand to settle the disputes in their favor while avoiding the public courts with a civil lawsuit.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[Anonymous Coward]

Once you've got your severance, can't you bitch about the company online, anonymously? Even if they find out, how are they going to get the money back?

They sue you and point to the non-disparage agreement you signed before leaving in court.

Thank you, Senator Blumenthal

[roc97007]

It's about damn time.

Maybe, but $1500 is peanuts...

[Radical Moderate]

hardly a deterrent. Maybe $10,000 per foreign worker. Hey, if they're truly irreplaceable, that's not a big nut. Of course, if they're truly irreplaceable, by definition the American worker they're replacing can't train them to do the job.

Re:Maybe, but $1500 is peanuts...

[Anonymous Coward]

A company should be taxed at a fixed rate plus the cost of training a US replacement.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[c0d3g33k]

Once you've got your severance, can't you bitch about the company online, anonymously? Even if they find out, how are they going to get the money back?

They sue you and point to the non-disparage agreement you signed before leaving in court.

Seems to me the negative publicity generated by suing former employees would be worse than what a former employee (branded with the label "disgruntled") might say.

Unintended Consequences

[Anonymous Coward]

There are a couple problems with that off the top of my head. How are you going to determine the number of foreign "contract workers" there are? It would be very difficult to craft a loophole-free policy, since all they have to do is structure the transaction as a product sale with support contract or some other workaround.

The big problem though is that it gives companies one more reason to want to low head counts. Automation of more and more jobs is coming, with your plan it would be hastened even further.

Ought to be Illegal

[Ritz_Just_Ritz]

Look, I like capitalism as much as the next fella...however....

I find it really hard to believe that with all the universities in this country annually graduating hundreds of thousands (millions?) in disciplines ranging from engineering to mathematics, comp sci, physics, etc. that it is necessary to import tech labor. When you consider all the additional inefficiency introduced in the form of language difficulties and what I've often found to be poor training (every problem isn't one that can be solved by consultants by the pound excreting bad java code), I find it hard to believe that it's even worth the effort to game the system in the first place. Yet here we are with legions of billion dollar companies that exist solely to exploit loopholes in the US immigration system while taking advantage of citizen workers and taking fat chunks of income ostensibly paid to the poor saps that are being pimped out to line their pockets.

Frankly, I don't believe that a tech labor shortage exists. What exists is a market distortion that's perpetuated by a corrupt group of companies that line the pockets of politicians in order to siphon their share of guest worker salaries. Just say no.

Re:Ought to be Illegal

[__aaclcg7560]

Frankly, I don't believe that a tech labor shortage exists.

Wait another 20 years as the baby boomers retire and/or die off for the forthcoming IT labor shortage. After the dot com bust, I went back to school to learn computer programming and get my technical certifications to take advantage of this trend.

Your simple solution doesn't work

[rsilvergun]

They'll hide it all in a web of contractors, which is exactly what they're doing now. If all else fails they'll fall back on the 'gig' economy and just move the goal post.They'll win, you'll lose. Because you play the game a few yours a day on /. while they do it for a living.

It's like Wargames (if you're old enough to know what that is): The only way to win is not to play. What you really want is tariffs and protectionism, but after 50 years of the right wing (economically speaking) press vilifying them nobody can bring themselves to say it. You will note that China and India both rely heavily on tariffs. They've worked for hundreds of years at their intended purpose of purpose.

Eliminate the H1-B program. For the few real geniuses we want have a lengthy peer review process to prevent the diploma mill graduate loophole. Raise taxes on import goods made with slave labor. Redistribute the wealth in the form of socialized medicine, free education, infrastructure programs and basic income. Lather, rinse repeat. These things work. That's why the 1% is frightened of them; and it's why they want you to be frightened too.

Re:Your simple solution doesn't work

[NormalVisual]

Eliminate the H1-B program. For the few real geniuses we want have a lengthy peer review process to prevent the diploma mill graduate loophole. Raise taxes on import goods made with slave labor. Redistribute the wealth in the form of socialized medicine, free education, infrastructure programs and basic income. Lather, rinse repeat. These things work. That's why the 1% is frightened of them; and it's why they want you to be frightened too.

All potentially good ideas, but first we have to find a way to get the 99% to get out of the "temporarily embarrassed millionaire" mindset and get them to see how they're often being used to the benefit of the 1%.

Re:Your simple solution doesn't work

[Anonymous Coward]

... China and India both rely heavily on tariffs ...

So does the USA: Don't think the NAFTA and a few technology 'exchanges' with military allies means your country lacks tariffs. The biggest tariff of course, is called IP protection.

Tariffs foster inefficiency. The US steel industry is evidence of that and we all remember how that story ended. Worse, give one industry a tax break, I mean a protectionist tariff, and they'll all demand one: The proverbial baby is thrown-out with the bathwater. It takes a heavy-handed economic policy to control tariffs but corporations set the rules. The rules always favour the corporations.

Re:Your simple solution doesn't work

[calque]

What you really want is tariffs and protectionism, but after 50 years of the right wing (economically speaking) press vilifying them nobody can bring themselves to say it. You will note that China and India both rely heavily on tariffs. They've worked for hundreds of years at their intended purpose of purpose

India's GDP per capita is $1500. Saying we want economic policies more like theirs because their policies are obviously successful makes no sense. On top of that, haven't they been getting exponentially better off precisely as they have instituted free market reforms in recent years?

Congress passed a law

[rsilvergun]

making all arbitration clauses binding. The US Supreme Court just ruled on it and said it was a perfectly valid because there's nothing in the US Constitution saying you can't sign away your rights. Blame our right wing, pro-corporate congress for all this...

Re:Congress passed a law

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like the Supreme Kangaroo Court also deserves a heaping pile of blame.

This is why you save.

[EmagGeek]

Listen up, kiddos. This is why you save your money from day 1 after you graduate. Forget the new beemer, swank apartment, and $50 bottles of vodka. From the day you graduate you should be stuffing as much as your income as you can into a tax-advantaged plan, and an equal amount to liquid investments (including a Roth).

You lived like a poor college student until you graduated, and so there's nothing wrong with living like a slightly less poor college student. That way, when something like this happens, you can be the hero who says "fuck you, you can keep your severance," and then head right over to the local TV station to spill all of the beans.

Freedom isn't free. When you take your $70K/year out of college and blow it on a nice car, a party lifestyle, and expensive booze, you should not be surprised to find yourselves in shackles eventually.

Re:This is why you save.

[Shados]

Doesn't really matter. I got laid off recently, and I had 125 thousand bucks in liquid assets, as well as about 200k~ in stocks and shit (probably 100k after this last week...fucking crash).

More than enough to pay for my mortgage and other expenses for quite a while. And if things got really dire, my condo's in a high demand area, so even now I could flip it for over a million and make quite a profit after paying off my mortgage.

YET EVEN WITH ALL THAT, saying no to my severance package would have been pretty hard. Spitting in the face of about 20 thousand bucks (the sum that was agreed on) plus various other benefits, isn't easy.

Fortunately my previous employer was actually pretty great, downsized for good reasons (well, they made mistakes leading to the layoff, but they weren't replacing anyone laid off with cheaper workers or anything), so I can, in good faith, just say the truth and how i really feel, and still not be in conflict of anything in the severance contract.

Not everyone is so lucky.

Re:This is why you save.

[crunchygranola]

Freedom isn't free. When you take your $70K/year out of college and blow it on a nice car, a party lifestyle, and expensive booze, you should not be surprised to find yourselves in shackles eventually.

Or have children and support a family, like normal people do. Right, nobody ever has a kid with leukemia that runs up huge bills and keeps you tied down just trying to keep her alive as long as you can. Financial disaster strikes nobody ever, its all just a big fucking party.

Asshole.

Re:This is why you save.

[eWarz]

Or you can just take your severance...and I don't know...FIND ANOTHER JOB!?!

Re:This is why you save.

[Anonymous Coward]

Leukemia is what health insurance is for. If you fail to purchase health insurance for your kid, you are not only breaking the law, but you have criminally neglected your child.

GP is on point. My dad made me sign a contract that said I would save 25% of my income after I graduated college. Even with my student loans, I still have to do it, and I do.

I graduated 5 years ago and already have almost $100K saved up including the returns on what I've put in. I can't believe how fast it happened.

Financial disasters do happen. Being laid off as in the topic of this story is a disaster. So is Leukemia. So is having kids to some degree. That's why you behave responsibly with your money and follow the GP's advice. There is a lot to prepare for - deductibles on medical events, large home repairs, car repairs, family members in sudden need, fire, flood, famine, and so on.

You sound like you don't really want to embrace life's responsibilities.

nice change from last year

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a welcome change from last year, when Blumenthal sponsored a bill that would have tripled the number of H1-B's from 65,000 to as many as 195,000 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/153/all-info). Let's hope he keeps moving in the direction of helping american workers instead of helping to put them out of jobs.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[l0n3s0m3phr34k]

Negative publicity doesn't really affect a power company. What is anyone going to do, boycott them and live in the dark?

File a grievance with who?

[rsilvergun]

The article points out that as long as their paying what's been called the "prevailing wage" (just $60k/yr in Connecticut) it's all nice and legal. Not sure when congress snuck that in but assuming the article isn't lying we're all basically up shit creek in the IT world. Last I checked the only thing holding back the flood was a cap of 300k/yr visas, and every Prez candidate except Bernie and _maybe_ Trump wants to lift the cap.

What I want to know is why the hell more /.ers aren't worried. Don't tell you you'll just polish your resume and move on. You can only run so far for so long. If nothing else you'll take a pay cut in your new job when all the other displaced tech workers apply for it...

Re:File a grievance with who?

[KGIII]

As an outsider looking in, retired but was very much involved for my entire career, I hate to say this but it's starting to look a bit like some of you are just plain fucked. No, I don't just rely on just Slashdot postings to make that observation. However, between things like the trend to train your replacements, H1-B visas being abused, and a belief that everyone should be trained to code by means of mandatory public education, it really doesn't look like the industry has a very healthy future.

I urged my kids to actually do something other than tech-specific but to find something they can be passionate about and hope like hell it wasn't directly tech-related. Thankfully, they listened. This isn't entirely new, it's been going on for a while now. The writing is on the wall and has been for a while. There are still some niche areas but programmers, developers, and IT staff are pretty much commodities now.

At a rough guess of about ten years ago, I had, and shared, some ideas that might have helped prevent some of this but it's far too late for change now. The sad truth is that there's not now a whole lot that most folks can do or will do to try to make this better. The time for action was quite a while ago, it's too late now.

And no, complaining isn't "raising awareness" or helping (not directly related to your comment but salient, nonetheless). I don't expect to be listened to now but, if I can offer just one piece of advice to you and the rest, look for ways to strike it out on your own and start your own business. Admittedly, working for the landed gentry has some potential benefits but I think you'll find there's greater liberty (and responsibility) in ownership.

Re:File a grievance with who?

[Anonymous Coward]

What I want to know is why the hell more /.ers aren't worried.

That's easy to answer. No one believes it can happen to them - start with a layer of belief that this isn't as widespread a problem as people make out and a layer of arrogant belief that they are too good to be replaced. Lightly frost with the majority USian demographics and their irrational aversion to worker protections.

Re:File a grievance with who?

[Billly Gates]

Really??

What will your kids being doing with that business degree? It will be a lousy $15/hr job living with you as you can't survive on that being an assistant manager at the local grocery store.

IT pays more than anything. Face it times have changed. In the old days a bachelors degree meant senior level management jobs making 70k fresh out of school when adjusted for inflation. Today a business or economics degree means being a secretary or answering phones at a real estate office somewhere oh the boss wanted his decafee with Soy Latte. Get it right next time ok?

I am just now a tech who does some AD work because some idiot on Slashdot 10 years ago said to not major in IT. DUH! My buddies who did are rich and own homes and I am in a crappy studio apartment but am happy as I make more in my office sadly except for the directory and 3 managers.

Name one profession that is not being killed by H 1B1 visas and automation? Factory workers? Accountants? HR? Accounting or book keeping is GONE. It has been replaced by quickbooks and Excel macros with some Indians doing the finance part. HR is done by Taleo now. The website picks candidates so HR doesn't have to (yes I know it was designed for this but money talks man).

Really there is nothing we can do but adapt and IT is the best place to be as not everyone can do some of the jobs we do. Most people with simple basic intelligence can do 85% of the rest of the white collar jobs. So why should they pay more for an American or human to do them? $15/hr is the best you can get which is minimium wage historically for college grads

Re:File a grievance with who?

[KGIII]

One is a medical doctor and the other has yet to get his doctorate and is currently in negotiations to buy and run a bar/hotel in Peru. I've mentioned both numerous times. Both will use tech but neither is tech oriented.

Re:File a grievance with who?

[Anonymous Coward]

What was the medical school like in your village ?

Re:File a grievance with who?

[tburkhol]

However, between things like the trend to train your replacements, H1-B visas being abused, and a belief that everyone should be trained to code by means of mandatory public education, it really doesn't look like the industry has a very healthy future.

It's interesting to compare the 'coding' industry with other knowledge-based industries, like law, medicine, traditional engineering, or even allied health. The older professions have strong accrediting or credentialing systems that limit, either practically or legally, who and how many people can do certain tasks. In many cases, those professional organizations fought ruthlessly against the commoditization of their skills, usually using the fear of life-threatening incompetence as a lever. Just compare the number of H1-B's issued to "IT" and to registered nurses.

Coders seem resistant to such a strong organization. Maybe because "unions are bad." Maybe because there's a lot of self-teaching, and formal accreditation looks threatening. Maybe it's just not a social profession. One way or another, it looks to me like the IT/development professionals have just failed to organize effectively.

Re:File a grievance with who?

[KGIII]

That'd be one of the things I tried to bring to folks attention about ten years ago. I also suggested unions but really felt the emphasis should be on a trade association - perhaps similar to the various engineering disciplines. I suggested that folks look into unions, not necessarily formal unions but a communication forum designated to trade health would have been a good start (I think).

Something like certification (yes, I know) but one handed down by the organization and yes, with some protectionism in mind. I know, it's great to be independent but a whole lot of people speaking as one can have a much greater effect than many speaking as individuals. Think of the saved effort, greater efficiency, and more concentrated effect it *could* have.

I suspect it's too late for that now. I guess you could do it now and hope it bears fruit later. There's no reason to not get together and get things going. Get big, get employer buy-in, and work to establish credibility. There are lots of things to try, or to have tried, and it's true that some ideas are better than others but you can see how far they're all getting with nobody doing anything. The few that are doing anything are mostly duplicating work.

Sometimes you have to stop worrying about your differences and start to pay attention to the things you have in common. People have been talking for years. People have even used the "raising awareness" line on it.

"I'm helping, I'm raising awareness." "I'm doing my part, I'm opening the dialogue." "It's important that people know about this."

Add that to, sometimes the best way to take care of yourself is actually to help other people. What was that phrase from back in Latin? Erf... Ah, manus manum lavat. I mentioned in a post earlier, the missing ingredient is solidarity. No software or laws can fix that.

Re:File a grievance with who?

[plopez]

Employers hate it because it makes it harder for them to suppress wages.

Re:File a grievance with who?

[__aaclcg7560]

I am just now a tech who does some AD work because some idiot on Slashdot 10 years ago said to not major in IT.

If you're taking advice from the Slashdot community, you pretty much deserved your fate. :P

Ten years ago IT stopped being the money major in college when everyone and their grandmother decided that healthcare would deliver the big bucks. I went back to school at that time to learn computer programming and earn my technical certifications. I came across a study that IT will face a serious shortage as the baby boomers retire in 30 years and I positioned myself to take advantage of that trend. Now that I'm well established in my IT career, I'm quite happy with the money I'm making. All my friends who went into healthcare hate their jobs despite the money they're making.

I don't think it's being abused

[rsilvergun]

The article says that so long as they pay the prevailing wage ($60k/yr in Connecticut, which IIRC is a pricey place to live) they can now legally replace you. Not sure when that changed (probably shortly after the pro-Corporate Republicans took the Senate) but assuming the article isn't lying there's no abuse. It's all nice and legal.

This is what we get for pushing 40 years of pro-corporate politics since Reagan. The .com boom and housing bubble hid the worst of it but it's starting to catch up on us. That's also why Trump & Bernie are doing so well in the polls. Too bad polls don't matter...

Re:I don't think it's being abused

[rworne]

The article says that so long as they pay the prevailing wage ($60k/yr in Connecticut, which IIRC is a pricey place to live) they can now legally replace you. Not sure when that changed (probably shortly after the pro-Corporate Republicans took the Senate) but assuming the article isn't lying there's no abuse. It's all nice and legal.

Well I always thought (Thank you, Schoolhouse Rock!) that after Congress and the Senate get through drafting some bill or some such, there's this guy who has to sign it or veto it.

Don't you think he has to bear some of the responsibility as well?

Re:I don't think it's being abused

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate the Orange team. Go purple. Those Orange guys suck.

Vote left

[rsilvergun]

I see what you're saying, which is that it's hopeless. They'll just buy everybody. The way I see it, Vote Left. Vote for the most left leaning, pro-worker candidate you can get. The right wing of America spent 40 years shifting us to the right. It didn't happen overnight, and undoing it won't happen overnight either. Vote Left every chance you get and you'll start to see a change. It's not like you've got anything to lose, right?

Re:Vote left

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not like you've got anything to lose, right?

the rest of your rights?

It doesn't have to be nearly that complicated...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure if this has been brought up yet, but I think the H1B system, in spirit, is fine. In fact, there doesn't even have to be a limit on the number of them. The problem is that you can use it as a way to import cheap labor, without having to experience any anxiety.

1. Modify the wording of the law so that it's possible to actually enforce the rules.

2. When you get caught, all of your H1Bs are deported on the spot. Make that one of the conditions of hiring / being an H1B.

Since these are highly in-demand people that you can't find in the USA, they're obviously pretty wealthy.. the sort that wouldn't be affected by sudden loss of employment, or who could easily get a normal visa to stay in the US, if they wanted to. Let the investigations go on for a nice long time, until the company has moved a lot of critical functions over. Then, one morning... ICE pulls up with a few buses.

What violations?

[rsilvergun]

From what I read in the article so long as they pay his replacement $60k/yr it's legal...

Top H1B visa companies 2015

[h8sg8s]

Infosys Limited 4875
Ibm India Private Limited 2757
Wipro Limited 2008
Tata Consultancy Services Limited 1699
Ernst Young Us Llp 1268
Microsoft Corp 1222
Deloitte Consulting Lp 1161
Accenture 1043
Hcl America Inc 865
Ust Global Inc 600
Ibm 553
Larsen Toubro Infotech Limited 517
Igate Technologies Inc 491
Amazon Corporate Llc 447
Cognizant Technology Solutions U S 439
Marlabs Inc 374
Syntel Consulting Inc 367
Qualcomm Technologies 306
Tech Mahindra (Americas),inc. 305
Apple Inc 300
J P Morgan Chase 289
Oracle America Inc 282

Re:Top H1B visa companies 2015

[AmiMoJo]

Wow, with the amount of complaining on /. I thought the top companies would have had 10s of thousands. That 1222 people make up about 1% of Microsoft's workforce. I didn't check the rest.

Re:Top H1B visa companies 2015

[maz2331]

The concern is that the outsourcing firms (incidentally, the top 4 on that list) are abusing the system by bringing in people on an H1B, then colluding with the management at client companies to replace existing employees. Some executives really should go to prison on this one.

Re:Top H1B visa companies 2015

[SadButResolved]

These numbers cannot be correct. I worked at one fortune 50 a year ago that had over 4000 indian contractors sitting in seats in america, not counting the overseas center. Please look at number/vs per year. If there are 300k per year how is this chart correct? Its that x 1000 each?

Re:Top H1B visa companies 2015

[JustSomeProgrammer]

I think those are numbers for just 2015. You don't get a new H1B visa every year. So they got all of those visas plus all the ones from 2014, 2013, 2012... I don't think Tata has any non H1B employees for example.

Re:Top H1B visa companies 2015

[Anonymous Coward]

I believe those are awarded visas this past year. The total number of outstanding visas is *much* higher. The latest figure I could find was from 2009, estimating the number of outstanding visas in the 650,000 range. I'd wager it's beyond a million now. That's nearing on 1% of the US workforce, and a substantially higher fraction of the tech workforce. It's pretty messed up.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[Darinbob]

Sue you into nothingness. Always blow the whistle anonymously if you don't want to be a martyr.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[Darinbob]

Utilities have lots of people doing PR to deflect negative publicity (*). And the general public will not pay attention to stuff like this anyway. They will sue until the former employee has nothing except a few followers sending consolation tweets.

(*) except for PG&E which seems to have the most incompetent PR ever. Their method of dealing with angry customers is to make them angry at something else (like asking to reduce the very light fine they were given for accidentally killing their customers)

Re:It doesn't have to be nearly that complicated..

[Anonymous Coward]

I would almost agree. My issue is with your #2

" When you get caught, all of your H1Bs are deported on the spot. Make that one of the conditions of hiring / being an H1B"

That discourages the H1B person from reporting the issues.

How about

When a company is caught abusing the H1B program they loose all there H1B employees and every H1B employee who reported the company it gets a green card free and clear.

Company looses their cheep labor, incurs hefty fines, and there is a reward for the H1B visa holder reporting the crime.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[Anonymous Coward]

What accident? "Accidentally" stealing the federal grants that were earmarked to replace that pipeline?

MANTAPPPPP

[Fikri5319]

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Paket umroh maret
Paket Umroh Bulan Februari 2016
Biaya Paket Umroh Plus Turki
Jadwal Paket Umroh Bulan April 2016 by Garuda
Harga Standart Kemenag Paket Umroh Mei 2016
Harga Standart Kemenag Paket Umroh Mei 2016
Paket umroh ramadhan
paket umroh april
paket umroh bulan februari 2016
Biaya Paket Umroh Plus Turki
Biaya Umroh Maret Maret 2016 AL Hijaz
Jadwal Paket Umroh Bulan April 2016 by Garuda
Harga Umroh Hemat Bulan Mei 2016 Al Hijaz
Biaya Paket Umroh Ramadhan 2016

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[Anonymous Coward]

In many jurisdictions it is unlawful to live in a structure without electricity.

campaign

[segwonk]

I swear, the first presidential candidate to jump on this issue, publicize the hell out of it, and then propose meaningful legislation and/or tax policy designed to discourage it will win the friggin' 2016 election. I'm just afraid one of the dimwit Republican will discover this secret first.

Bernie Sanders, isn't this right up your alley? Why aren't you talking about this more?

I hate to break it to you conservatives & libertarians, free markets are NOT solving this problem. This is one area where government needs to step in.

Re:campaign

[oh_my_080980980]

Because it's not a big issue. NO ONE is championing it. Wall Street Reform is a bigger issue. Healthcare is a bigger issue. Prescription drug costs is a bigger issue.

The point is, unless tech workers have a union that can lobby Congress on their behalf very little will change. It's amazing how ignorant tech workers are on how government works - when the claim to be so intelligent. They don't even know how to represent themselves before Congress. Tech companies understand and have hired lobbyists to lobby on their behalf. Why do you think there have be calls to increase the number of H1B Visas. Congress did not wake up one day and decided to increase the number. Tech sector lobbyists lobbied members of Congress to increase the number.

If you want oversight, enforcement, and changes to the program, you need to lobby Congress. Right now tech workers have no seat at the negotiating table. That's incredibly stupid. So it's basically the tech companies and members of Congress determining how the program is run with no input from the people who's jobs this affects.

Time to get your head out of your collective asses and organize. You need to lobby Congress. You need to have your voices heard. You need to have a seat at the negotiating table. Individually you can't accomplish this. As an organized group with political influence, you can. Hence the need for a union.

Re:campaign

[maz2331]

Actually, Ted Cruz has at least acknowledged the abuse, and has come out very strongly against the H1B abuses.

Re:campaign

[moeinvt]

I know exactly how government works. It's like this:

Government: Give us your money or we will throw you in a cage. If you resist being thrown in a cage we will kill you.

Government: Do what we say or we will throw you in a cage. If you resist being thrown in a cage we will kill you.

Foreign policy is very similar. although they typically skip the cage part and go straight into the killing.

Fuck Congress. Every tech worker in the USA could peacefully organize and they still wouldn't give a damn. They don't have a 12% approval rating for nothing. There is no chance for reform through the political process in Washington DC.

Re:campaign

[Wolfrider]

--Citation needed. Got link(s)?

Migrants

[Anonymous Coward]

So don't tell me that everyone here is for migrants coming over but that they cannot take jobs?

Did you just think they would take poor blue collar jobs?

Re:Migrants

[Phreakiture]

These are not migrants. Migrants come here, get jobs here, live here, rent homes here, buy goods here, pay taxes here. When they leave here, the job stays here for someone else to take.

In this case, however, the not-migrants are coming here only long enough to be trained to do the job. They are then returning to their home land, taking the job with them. Any benefit to the American economy is either transient (i.e. during their training) or restricted to the decision makers in the company carrying it out. In net, it is a loss to the American economy.

Re:Migrants

[__aaclcg7560]

When they leave here, the job stays here for someone else to take.

The Wall Street Journal had an article on how the illegal migrants disappeared after Arizona passed tough laws. Only 10% of the job openings were filled by American citizens or legal migrants. The remaining job openings went unfulfilled due to the labor shortage.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-thorny-economics-of-illegal-immigration-1454984443

Re:Migrants

[Phreakiture]

So the jobs are still open, just as I said. The job is here. Someone who is willing to accept the going rate can take that job.

Re:How is gag order enforceable in the first place

[Anonymous Coward]

California allows 3rd parties to sell you most utilities, so you could easily buy your electricity from someone else. You would have to pay the system upkeep fees and regulatory fees to the company, but the bulk of what they actually make a profit on can be bought from someone else.

Name names

[plopez]

Post as AC, both you and all others who have experienced this, company names. I want to avoid companies that do that.

I Realize I'm Likely in the Minority...

[Anonymous Coward]

when I write this, but honestly, why are IT workers not standing up for themselves. I've been in IT since graduating college in the late 90s. My work life has not been perfect. I've taken some jobs that were not as good as I wanted. But... I would never do as some have done and knowingly train my replacement. I also would sign nothing. I would walk out and take a job as a bartender before I would continue to aid and abet the ongoing practice of screwing over American workers.

IT needs to be unionized or the next administration needs to step up protectionism for American workers. Americans deserve a living wage, not being screwed over by multinationals who see nothing but the bottom line.

What I've done to help insulate myself from this is I tend to work only for non-profits. My pay is less than it would be were I at a pure IT company (none really in my area) or for a large multinational (all laying off here). Schools and colleges are other places that always need IT people. They are great places to work as you generally only work about ~200 days a year, and if you have children, you get to be off with them quite a bit.

I know that no one will step up because IT is too broad a field to actually organize, but laws need to be changed to state that Americans have to be hired, not foreigners. There is no shortage of qualified IT workers in the country. None. There ARE shortages of qualified IT workers who are willing to work for wages that are not realistic, or wages that third-world workers are willing to take on.

Forbidden Truth?

[JimSadler]

We should not allow any action which impedes any individual from telling the truth, far and wide. It is important that the public can see for itself, the morals and ethics of any company allowed to have a business license.

Coren22's "APKolypse" #1/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"You are terrified someone will steal your software if you publish the source code." - by Coren22 (1625475)

WTF? A respected other in security & competent coder has OK'd it as clean/safe!

I don't give it away to everyone W/ GOOD REASON (Google's mistake w/ CHROME = prime example) -> http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"You have yet to address the issue of name resolution performance of anything not found in your hosts file. This is a serious issue when the hosts file is so large" - by Coren22 (1625475)

By placing users FAVORITE SITES where they spend 95++% of their time online @ TOP of hosts files cached in RAM gets them to sites FASTER & MORE RELIABLY than a more-than-potentially REDIRECT POISONED DNS SERVER (99.999% of ISP DNS aren't patched vs. the kaminsky flaw, stupid).

---

"DNS outperforms your hosts file solution several fold" - by Coren22 (1625475)

No it doesn't (see using hardcoded favorites above) - & DNS outperforms hosts in GOING DOWN (does a lot) OR poisoning users via redirect poisonings (DNS amp attacks is another).

---

"so why not just run your own DNS server? Oh, resources eh?" - by Coren22 (1625475)

More resource consumption + moving parts complexity + POWER USE doesn't = a GOOD solution vs. hosts by using redirect poisoning/DNS amp attack exploitable DNS w/ only a few systems @ home.

---

"But you have no problem running 100k copies of the hosts file in a domain" - by Coren22 (1625475)

It works easily migrated by central admins via scripts or chronjobs/scheduled tasks with less moving parts complexity, room for exploit & breakdown, OR power usage.

---

"You have yet to submit to a code review from anyone but your friend. No, I don't trust that he has thoroughly assessed your software." - by Coren22 (1625475)

I have to a seasoned security pro AND competent coder himself (unlike you).

"you are stealing other people's work in your code" - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't "steal" (you project YOU DO)!

APK

P.S.=> You FAIL, MENIAL.. apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #2/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"the secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code and said it looked all good to them" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

My code went thru verification by Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes' hpHosts

hpHosts Site Admin Mr. Steven Burn quoted:

"I've been asked to further clarify so for the record yes I've seen the code, and yes, it is safe."

FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

(On my latest 9.0++ code engine above & from past versions -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

A competent coder & BEST security researcher I know of FROM THE BEST ANTIMALWARE THERE IS http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

NOT a secretary!

I don't give away work to be stolen OR misused like GOOGLE CHROME http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"won't demonstrate security of his product be exposing the source" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

Bullshit: 62 reputable sources + /. users say different:

Safe by 57 antivirus programs in 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

+

the 32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

&

Per VirScan (installer too)-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

APK

P.S.=> Eat your words, scumbag:

Tell us about AD + DNS too while you're @ it & how you said I said not to run DNS when I use it myself & said to NOT use external to network DNS with AD http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

OR

About how my program NEEDS admin privelege to update too (& it doesn't http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

LOL... fool - 'eat your words' on ALL those accounts chump!

... apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #1/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"you are stealing other people's work in your code" - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't steal (you project YOU DO). I write my own & use public data to protect + speed up users.

---

"You have yet to submit to a code review from anyone but your friend. No, I don't trust that" - by Coren22 (1625475)

A seasoned security pro & competent coder reviewed my work as clean & IT'S WHAT HE DOES (unlike you). He can't "play friends": It's his site & reputation.

---

"You are terrified someone will steal your software if you publish the source code." - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't give source away W/ GOOD REASON (Google's mistake w/ CHROME = prime example) -> http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"You have yet to address the issue of name resolution performance of anything not found in your hosts file. This is a serious issue when the hosts file is so large" - by Coren22 (1625475)

Placing users' FAVORITE SITES where they spend 95++% of their time online @ TOP of hosts files cached in LOCAL RAM gets them to sites FASTER & MORE RELIABLY than a more-than-potentially REDIRECT POISONED DNS SERVER (99.999% of ISP DNS aren't patched vs. the kaminsky flaw, or DNS amp attacks).
---

"DNS outperforms your hosts file solution several fold" - by Coren22 (1625475)

No it doesn't (see above) - & DNS outperforms hosts in GOING DOWN (does a lot) OR poisoning users via redirect poisonings (DNS amp attacks = another).

---

"so why not just run your own DNS server? Oh, resources eh?" - by Coren22 (1625475)

More resource consumption + moving parts complexity + POWER USE doesn't = a GOOD solution vs. hosts by using redirect poisoning/DNS amp attack exploitable DNS w/ only a few systems @ home.

---

"But you have no problem running 100k copies of the hosts file in a domain" - by Coren22 (1625475)

It works easily migrated by central admins via scripts or chronjobs/scheduled tasks w/ less moving parts complexity, room for exploit & breakdown, OR power usage.

APK

P.S.=> You FAIL menial... apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #2/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"the secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code and said it looked all good to them" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

My code went thru verification by Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes' hpHosts

hpHosts Site Admin Mr. Steven Burn quoted:

"I've been asked to further clarify so for the record yes I've seen the code, and yes, it is safe."

FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

(On my latest 9.0++ code engine above & from past versions -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

A competent coder & BEST security researcher I know of FROM THE BEST ANTIMALWARE THERE IS http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

NOT a secretary!

I don't give away work to be stolen OR misused like GOOGLE CHROME http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"won't demonstrate security of his product be exposing the source" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

Bullshit: 62 reputable sources + /. users say different:

Safe by 57 antivirus programs in 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

+

the 32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

&

Per VirScan (installer too)-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

APK

P.S.=> Eat your words, scumbag:

Tell us about AD + DNS too while you're @ it & how you said I said not to run DNS when I use it myself & said to NOT use external to network DNS with AD http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

OR

About how my program NEEDS admin privelege to update too (& it doesn't http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

LOL... fool - 'eat your words' on ALL those accounts chump!

... apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #1/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"you are stealing other people's work in your code" - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't steal (you project YOU do). I write my own code (you don't) & use public data to protect + speed up users.

---

"You have yet to submit to a code review from anyone but your friend. No, I don't trust that" - by Coren22 (1625475)

A seasoned security pro & competent coder reviewed my work as safe & IT'S WHAT HE DOES (unlike you). He can't "play friends": It's his site & reputation.

---

"You are terrified someone will steal your software if you publish the source code." - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't give source away W/ GOOD REASON (Google's mistake w/ CHROME) -> http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"You have yet to address the issue of name resolution performance of anything not found in your hosts file. This is a serious issue when the hosts file is so large" - by Coren22 (1625475)

Placing users' FAVORITE SITES where they spend 95++% of their time online @ TOP of hosts files cached in LOCAL RAM gets them to sites FASTER & MORE RELIABLY than a more-than-potentially REDIRECT POISONED DNS SERVER (99.999% of ISP DNS aren't patched vs. the kaminsky flaw, or DNS amp attacks).
---

"DNS outperforms your hosts file solution several fold" - by Coren22 (1625475)

No it doesn't (see above) - & DNS outperforms hosts in GOING DOWN (does a lot) OR poisoning users via redirect poisonings (DNS amp attacks = another).

---

"so why not just run your own DNS server? Oh, resources eh?" - by Coren22 (1625475)

More resource consumption + moving parts complexity + POWER USE doesn't = a GOOD solution vs. hosts by using redirect poisoning/DNS amp attack exploitable DNS w/ only a few systems @ home.

---

"But you have no problem running 100k copies of the hosts file in a domain" - by Coren22 (1625475)

It works easily migrated by central admins via scripts or chronjobs/scheduled tasks w/ less moving parts complexity, room for exploit & breakdown, OR power usage.

APK

P.S.=> You FAIL menial... apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #2/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"the secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code and said it looked all good to them" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

My code went thru verification by Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes' hpHosts

hpHosts Site Admin Mr. Steven Burn quoted:

"I've been asked to further clarify so for the record yes I've seen the code, and yes, it is safe."

FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

(On my latest 9.0++ code engine above & from past versions -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

A competent coder & BEST security researcher I know of FROM THE BEST ANTIMALWARE THERE IS http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

NOT a secretary!

I don't give away work to be stolen OR misused like GOOGLE CHROME http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"won't demonstrate security of his product be exposing the source" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

Bullshit: 62 reputable sources + /. users say different:

Safe by 57 antivirus programs in 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

+

the 32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

&

Per VirScan (installer too)-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

APK

P.S.=> Eat your words, scumbag:

Tell us about AD + DNS too while you're @ it & how you said I said not to run DNS when I use it myself & said to NOT use external to network DNS with AD http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

OR

About how my program NEEDS admin privelege to update too (& it doesn't http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

LOL... fool - 'eat your words' on ALL those accounts chump!

... apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #1/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"you are stealing other people's work in your code" - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't steal (you project YOU do). I write my own code (you don't) & use public data to protect + speed up users.

---

"You have yet to submit to a code review from anyone but your friend. No, I don't trust that" - by Coren22 (1625475)

A seasoned security pro & competent coder reviewed my work as safe & IT'S WHAT HE DOES (unlike you). He can't "play friends": It's his site & reputation.

---

"You are terrified someone will steal your software if you publish the source code." - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't give source away W/ GOOD REASON (Google's mistake w/ CHROME) -> http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"You have yet to address the issue of name resolution performance of anything not found in your hosts file. This is a serious issue when the hosts file is so large" - by Coren22 (1625475)

Placing users' FAVORITE SITES where they spend 95++% of their time online @ TOP of hosts files cached in LOCAL RAM gets them to sites FASTER & MORE RELIABLY than a more-than-potentially REDIRECT POISONED DNS SERVER (99.999% of ISP DNS aren't patched vs. the kaminsky flaw, or DNS amp attacks).
---

"DNS outperforms your hosts file solution several fold" - by Coren22 (1625475)

No it doesn't (see above) - & DNS outperforms hosts in GOING DOWN (does a lot) OR poisoning users via redirect poisonings (DNS amp attacks = another).

---

"so why not just run your own DNS server? Oh, resources eh?" - by Coren22 (1625475)

More resource consumption + moving parts complexity + POWER USE doesn't = a GOOD solution vs. hosts by using redirect poisoning/DNS amp attack exploitable DNS w/ only a few systems @ home.

---

"But you have no problem running 100k copies of the hosts file in a domain" - by Coren22 (1625475)

It works easily migrated by central admins via scripts or chronjobs/scheduled tasks w/ less moving parts complexity, room for exploit & breakdown, OR power usage.

APK

P.S.=> You FAIL menial... apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #2/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"the secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code and said it looked all good to them" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

My code went thru verification by Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes' hpHosts

hpHosts Site Admin Mr. Steven Burn quoted:

"I've been asked to further clarify so for the record yes I've seen the code, and yes, it is safe."

FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

(On my latest 9.0++ code engine above & from past versions -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

A competent coder & BEST security researcher I know of FROM THE BEST ANTIMALWARE THERE IS http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

NOT a secretary!

I don't give away work to be stolen OR misused like GOOGLE CHROME http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"won't demonstrate security of his product be exposing the source" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

Bullshit: 62 reputable sources + /. users say different:

Safe by 57 antivirus programs in 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

+

the 32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

&

Per VirScan (installer too)-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

APK

P.S.=> Eat your words, scumbag:

Tell us about AD + DNS too while you're @ it & how you said I said not to run DNS when I use it myself & said to NOT use external to network DNS with AD http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

OR

About how my program NEEDS admin privelege to update too (& it doesn't http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

LOL... fool - 'eat your words' on ALL those accounts chump!

... apk

Coren22's "assburgers" abnormal brain LIVE!

[Anonymous Coward]

See subject & hosts vs. remote dns 1st http://slashdot.org/comments.p... &

2nd: Hosts use less cpu/ram, moving parts for exploit or breakdown vs. LOCAL dns too - period...

See subject - you fail, limited cretin!

DOWNMODDING THIS TO HIDE IT -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ?

Yes... lol!

* :)

(That dull "aspie defective brain" of yours MISFIRING again? Yes, lol... Thank-You, for being SO stupid, evidencing yourself to be a LIMITED CRETIN who only knows what he read "by rote" but has NO CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS OF HIS OWN to evidence - lmao, whereas I use BOTH mathematics, common-sense tests, & SKILLS to dust your defective brain ass... lol!)

APK

P.S.=> It was JUST (& you KNOW that I've just GOTTA say this, now don't you? Ah, but of COURSE you do, lol) "too, Too, TOO EASY - just '2ez'" vs. a LIMITED IN SKILLS IN COMPUTING & MATH EDUCATION BACKGROUND menial, like YOU, Coren22 -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

Coren22's "APKolypse" #1/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"you are stealing other people's work in your code" - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't steal (you project YOU do). I write my own code (you don't) & use public data to protect + speed up users.

---

"You have yet to submit to a code review from anyone but your friend. No, I don't trust that" - by Coren22 (1625475)

A seasoned security pro & competent coder reviewed my work as safe & IT'S WHAT HE DOES (unlike you). He can't "play friends": It's his site & reputation.

---

"You are terrified someone will steal your software if you publish the source code." - by Coren22 (1625475)

I don't give source away W/ GOOD REASON (Google's mistake w/ CHROME) -> http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"You have yet to address the issue of name resolution performance of anything not found in your hosts file. This is a serious issue when the hosts file is so large" - by Coren22 (1625475)

Placing users' FAVORITE SITES where they spend 95++% of their time online @ TOP of hosts files cached in LOCAL RAM gets them to sites FASTER & MORE RELIABLY than a more-than-potentially REDIRECT POISONED DNS SERVER (99.999% of ISP DNS aren't patched vs. the kaminsky flaw, or DNS amp attacks).
---

"DNS outperforms your hosts file solution several fold" - by Coren22 (1625475)

No it doesn't (see above) - & DNS outperforms hosts in GOING DOWN (does a lot) OR poisoning users via redirect poisonings (DNS amp attacks = another).

---

"so why not just run your own DNS server? Oh, resources eh?" - by Coren22 (1625475)

More resource consumption + moving parts complexity + POWER USE doesn't = a GOOD solution vs. hosts by using redirect poisoning/DNS amp attack exploitable DNS w/ only a few systems @ home.

---

"But you have no problem running 100k copies of the hosts file in a domain" - by Coren22 (1625475)

It works easily migrated by central admins via scripts or chronjobs/scheduled tasks w/ less moving parts complexity, room for exploit & breakdown, OR power usage.

APK

P.S.=> You FAIL menial... apk

Coren22's "APKolypse" #2/2... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"the secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code and said it looked all good to them" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

My code went thru verification by Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes' hpHosts

hpHosts Site Admin Mr. Steven Burn quoted:

"I've been asked to further clarify so for the record yes I've seen the code, and yes, it is safe."

FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

(On my latest 9.0++ code engine above & from past versions -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

A competent coder & BEST security researcher I know of FROM THE BEST ANTIMALWARE THERE IS http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

NOT a secretary!

I don't give away work to be stolen OR misused like GOOGLE CHROME http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

---

"won't demonstrate security of his product be exposing the source" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

Bullshit: 62 reputable sources + /. users say different:

Safe by 57 antivirus programs in 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

+

the 32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

&

Per VirScan (installer too)-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

APK

P.S.=> Eat your words, scumbag:

Tell us about AD + DNS too while you're @ it & how you said I said not to run DNS when I use it myself & said to NOT use external to network DNS with AD http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

OR

About how my program NEEDS admin privelege to update too (& it doesn't http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

LOL... fool - 'eat your words' on ALL those accounts chump!

... apk

burn down the managers houeses

[johncandale]

It is time for them to burn down the managers houses.