Slashdot Mirror
Former Disney IT Worker's Complaint To Congress: How Can You Allow This? (computerworld.com)
dcblogs writes: At a congressional hearing Thursday on the H-1B visa's impact on high-skilled workers, the first person to testify was Leo Perrero, a former Disney IT worker. He was overcome with emotion for parts of it, pausing to gather himself as he told the story of how he was replaced by a foreign visa holder. Perrero wondered how he would tell his family that "I would soon be living on unemployment." He paused. The hearing room was still as the audience waited for him to continue."Later that same day I remember very clearly going to the local church pumpkin sale and having to tell the kids that we could not buy any because my job was going over to a foreign worker," he said. But a person who made a case for access to foreign workers was Mark O'Neill, the CTO of Jackthreads, an online retailer. He argued that there is a need for more skilled workers. Competition is so fierce for developers "that my developers' starting salaries have risen by 50% in the last eight years," said O'Neill, and "senior positions command compensation that meets or exceeds even that of United States Senators."
Campaign donations. Lots and lots of campaign donations.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
If Mr O'Neill and the rest of these corporate leaders were actually so desperate for qualified tech people, perhaps they could consider starting extensive intern programs. If they failed to get adequate enrollment, they could work with high schools and/or community colleges, and even community outreach programs in economically suffering areas. Detroit comes to mind. Broad areas of the south do as well. They could provide valuable skills to people who wouldnt otherwise reach out to get them and reverse what these companies market as a shortage of talent and bloated wages.
Invest in Americans and quit acting the victim.
"But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,..." - Nancy Pelosi
I don't disagree with the idea that there may be a requirement for H1B visas to fill positions where there are not enough skilled workers, but something doesn't add up when you bring in H1Bs to replace existing workers. You can't claim there aren't enough and displace the ones you have. That's like saying, "I only have 1 gallon of water, so I need to go get another gallon. But, I'm going to dump out my first gallon when I do." If there really is a shortage, the H1Bs should be added along side the existing employees. If there is a need to remove one of the two, there wasn't really the shortage that was claimed.
If A and B are members of the workforce and A isn't enough, you need A+B not B instead of A. If you are bringing in the workforce of B because you can use the H1B process and the individual's resident only because of employment status to keep their salary lower, you are abusing the purpose of the H1B process and the requests should be denied for violating the reason. In fact, one would think such actions are really a case of filing false federal paperwork to get the H1B applicants.
It's the free market at work. If these jobs keep paying better and better, more and more people will get the training to go into the field and balance it out. But that's not happening because...
I teach computer information science at a college. We have a hard time recruiting students into the program because they pretty much all say they don't want to spend years learning how to be a programmer when all of the jobs are being replaced by foreigners or outsourced overseas.
Oh, to be young and naive again. Do you think Hillary isn't owned by the corporations too?
Did you believe Obama would really bring "hope and change" too?
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
But a person who made a case for access to foreign workers was Mark O'Neill, the CTO of Jackthreads, an online retailer. He argued that there is a need for more skilled workers. Competition is so fierce for developers "that my developers' starting salaries have risen by 50% in the last eight years," said O'Neill, and "senior positions command compensation that meets or exceeds even that of United States Senators."
So... scarcity equals higher price which is bad for business, except when it's business taking advantage of that scarcity. Would Mr. O'Neill complain to congress that we should allow foreign companies to build more Disney knockoffs, because Disney makes more money than some countries? I doubt it.
Really ?, I have never been paid with a refrigerator full of money
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITI...
Competition is so fierce for developers "that my developers' starting salaries have risen by 50% in the last eight years," said O'Neill
Sounds a lot less if you run the numbers! That is only a moderate increase of 5.2% annually, compared to 2.8%-2.9% you need to adjust the budget by on average (!) for all salary increases.
If there is a demand for more skilled workers, then why are companies replacing existing skilled labor with foreign workers on the H1-B visa program? The CTO of Jackthreads makes no sense whatsoever. The H1-B visa program is all about trying to save corporations money at the expense of domestic skilled workers. The argument about a lack of skilled programmers is baloney.
If they don't want to follow the laws then just refuse to enforce the intellectual monopoly laws. Let's see how they like having all of their characters enter the public domain.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
Trump is playing a simple role, just like you said, he's playing into what people said they wanted. But the people who want his ideology in power are driven by a crippling fear for the future. Rest assured, no good will come from a leader who plays on fear, rather than quells it.
How is this legal? It's my admittedly weak understanding of H1B law that it can only be used to fill a job position if there are no qualified domestic workers. It sounds very much like a case of Disney replacing a current employee with an H1B visa worker.
It's that lack, of a follow thru, which lands this bullshit journalism into the hands of sheeple. That's what you're pacing back & forth over. It isn't whether this worker can or cannot land a new job, its that the evil H-1B visa took it away. Disney hasn't created anything since the new millenium that isn't just recycled bullshit. They're solely surviving on their brand, which is burning like a pile of worn out tires. And that's where the journalistic focus should be. Let the companies who employ the H-1B visa tactic, fall. And may they fall swiftly.
I can't believe the bullshit logic.
"We're firing US workers and hiring H1B workers because we need more skilled workers and competition is fierce."
Uh. WHAT?
If they need MORE skilled workers, and the pool of US workers is too small, HIRE FROM THE H1B POOL AND KEEP YOUR EXISTING WORKERS!
But, again, we know this isn't truly about a dearth of talent in the worker pool.
It's actually about a race to the bottom for salaries and the money saved by paying pennies on the dollar to the equivalent of an IT sweat shop. Economizing US workers out of their livelihoods.
And it needs to stop...
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Mr. Jackthreads says that he pays senior developers $200k. Does anyone actually believe him? In Switzerland, where IT jobs are hard to fill, a good salary for a senior developer might reach at $150k. It's probably about the same in Silicon Valley - and in both cases, that's because the cost of living is pretty high. I want to see his accounts, because I don't believe he pays any of his developers that kind of salary. He's lying, and no one had the guts to call him on it.
Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
He says what he thinks.
Trump says what an uneducated idiot would say to his buddy in private company. He attacks detractors like a schoolyard bully with a foul mouth, and he is of zero substance.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
You are not describing "capitalism" or "capitalist". Good grief go read the fucking books! The reason Capitalism works is because it's balanced on all ends. Workers work for what they get, business owners sell for what they can get, and consumers pay what they consider to be a fair price. For a good amount of US History we had Capitalism, or at least operated very close to those ideas.
When the Businesses dictate everything the system is closer to the old and failed mercantilism which Capitalism replaced. You could also call it fascism, because it's pretty damn close to what Mussolini described as a Fascist economy. Which, by the way, works better than most people think because the US Government is no longer a Constitutional Republic. Except on paper.
Oh, to be young and naive again. Do you think Hillary isn't owned by the corporations too?
Did you believe Obama would really bring "hope and change" too?
Since the majority of the Mills seems to support Bernie, it's looking like young and naive aren't the insult it was.
Be seeing you...
You think Gates et.al are fighting for "education" in schools? If so, think again. Common Core was brought to you by Gates Foundation truckloads of cash. You can start there. Once you have a good grasp, really look at the code.org "education" and see what it does.
I think the definition of a candidate's attributes can be accurately gleaned from his behavior and his followers. Trump is a bully who's core support comes from disenfranchised xenophobes. He says what he thinks. Trump says what an uneducated idiot would say to his buddy in private company. He attacks detractors like a schoolyard bully with a foul mouth, and he is of zero substance.
And yet, he's still better than Clinton, who will never stand up to an ideological fight because theres a chance she might not win. At least with trump, we know what his agenda is. With Clinton, we just don't know what shes been paid to do, and you can bet its not in our best interests.
I'm particularly in favor of Sanders, as he not only understands the problems we are facing (as do most of the candidates), but is willing to stand up and fight for the right solutions even if it means loosing. Even a loosing fight is worth fighting sometimes. If Obama had had an ounce of real fight in him, we might not have a complete mess of a healthcare law, that failed to meet most of its objectives, and half the population hates.
The only way this election gets close for me is if Its Trump Vs Sanders. I would likely vote for Sanders, but failing that, Trump it is.
There are lots of people out there who think Trump and sanders are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, but they are the same in the truly important ways: Both are willing to take up the fights they believe in, consequences be damned. With Sanders, we know what his politics are about, and his ideas do not jibe with Wall-street, nor Washington, and hes the better man for it. With Trump, we don't know what many of his positions are because, like any real leader, he hasn't made up his mind about a great many issues because he hasn't had the time or the need to make a decision one way or the other.
The single biggest failing of democracy, is that most voters are too stupid to understand that a candidate that has all the answers right now, is far more likely to be dead wrong about most of them. Voters should stop looking for candidates who already know where they stand on everything, and start looking for candidates with a track record of making good decisions. Voters also have to realize that they themselves are not good at making decisions, and that finding a candidate that matches their views, prejudices against candidates who can make good impartial decisions.
I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
50% rise in eight years? That's only 1.5^0.125 = 5.2%/year. That's less than the rise in college tuition. For the extremes of the range, there is the ridiculously low CPI of 10% over eight years and the ridiculously high ShadowStats.com of 100% over eight years (view page source to see the hidden value). The geometric mean of those two extremes is sqrt(1.1*2.0)=48%.
Maybe 50% over eight years (5.2%/year) is in fact overstating actual inflation, but it's far from self-evident. By just stating the number and expecting people to be shocked, Mark O'Neill is, intentionally or not, advancing the wage-suppression-through-inflation scam.
Can we really afford to risk further devaluing international relations with a guy who might just say anything?
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
d. do the disenfranchised really believe that once elected, he'd be interested in helping them?
He shouldn't *have* to make sacrifices. What Disney did is illegal. Blatantly so. The H1B program is not meant to be a way to lower costs for companies. It's so that companies can import workers *when no local workers exist to do the job, regardless of the cost*. There were workers available. Disney hired a shady outsourcing company. Black and white, open and shut. If Disney is not reprimanded for this, then our entire legal system and government needs to be torn down and rebuilt because we're so corrupt it cannot be fixed without bloodshed. I'm not saying I condone it, but we're already seeing attacks on government from people who think we are already there.
Trump is a bully who's core support comes from disenfranchised xenophobes.
The only thing you're missing there is the "and he's an evil far-right-extremist..." then you could turn around and be best buddies with the governments of Europe(Germany, Norway, England, etc), who also shout the same garbage at the opposition because they're not listening to the public. And successfully drive more people to the opposition with their insane rhetoric.
Trump says what an uneducated idiot would say to his buddy in private company. He attacks detractors like a schoolyard bully with a foul mouth, and he is of zero substance.
In other words, he's saying stuff that people outside the beltway, those outside of the ivory hall of academia say, and what Bob and Doug are saying around the watercooler. And that resonates with people who aren't you, people that you think are "xenophobes" because their values are different, and they have different viewpoints. And instead of wondering why they have different viewpoints, and why what he says is resonating you resort to just another form of bullying.
Om, nomnomnom...
You are as clueless as most. STFU. He is a devout christian which is exactly the leadership we desperately need right now.
Since every Presidential Candidate has lied to them since time immemorial, they might as well pick the lies they like the best.
it's because you're stupid. it's called flooding the market. it drives prices down, artificially. then when competition is severely weakened, one can increase their prices. when other businesses do it to the u.s. they paid a fine, and continue on doing business. but when humans are involved, it's ok.
Trump is crazy, Putin is crazy, Clinton is ... who knows any more.
Over the last couple of years Putin has demonstrated that he's the most powerful man in the world. Maybe he's on to something. Having a crazy-like-a-fox leader has its benefits. At the very least, it makes the leaders on the other side very nervous because they somply can't predict what you're going to do. Clinton is VERY predictable.
If you can't have Sanders (and you can be sure the Dems won't allow that) then you're better off with Trump. Screw the H1Bs, don't ratify the TPP and TTIP free trade deals that are the perfect way for corporations to both avoid taxes and push a rush to the bottom wrt workers.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
We do not have Capitalism in the United States of America any longer
This is a common misconception due to not understanding all the terms involved. Capitalism refers to private ownership of production, which, yes we do still have in the US. What we have less and less of is free and efficient marketplace being replaced by increasingly regulated marketplace.
Devout? He's been married three times! What happened to 'til death do us part"?
If he's what you consider to be a devout Christian, it's no wonder he's happy morons are voting for him
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
..and that's why Switzerland has such an incredibly high murder rate, right?
Which has nothing to do with gun ownership. Every time people claim the folks in Switzerland, or even Israel, have guns coming out their ears which is why they have low murder rates shows their true lack of understanding those country's gun laws.
While this article is not the one I was looking for, you will note the heavy regulation of guns in Switzerland including how much ammunition one can buy and mandatory registration with the government, both of which the NRA howls over any time either subject is brought up.
Second, as the person in the story relates, the people of Switzerland own guns to protect their country as part of the militia, the exact same thing our Founding Fathers said in the Constitution. That people deny this prima facia fact is the result of deliberate twisting by certain groups, not the least of which the NRA who originally held to the Constitutional writing (to use a Scalia-ism).
Also, as to Israel, which some people bring up, this article explains one must have a reason to own a gun. Not that you want one, a valid reason AND you have go back every six months to justify you continuing to keep your gun.
If you want to point to Switzerland you had better tell the whole story. It's not as neat and simple as you and others make out. The government has a heavy hand in regulating firearms in the country, something which people like you fight against every time the subject is brought up.
In closing, I have no problem with anyone owning a gun. I've shot them in the past and have considered owning one but can't justify the cost even though I can easily afford one. Maybe some day.
But this nonsense that using Switzerland or Israel as examples of the notion "more guns = less crime" is shown to be false because of how their respective governments control guns. One might as well use Somalia where nearly everyone owns a gun yet there is crime in abundance.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Trump IS the corporations/ Or more to the point, represents the class that tell the corporations what to want so they can buy up politicians and give them their orders.
Exactly. If these H1-B's were so much more qualified, why did they need training by the less-qualified workers?
And do you think Putin the Powerful is any good for his people? With the international sanctions, the crash of the oil price and the tumbling Ruble, the Russian economy is going down the drain while Putin is playing power politics in the Ukraine and Syria, investing what little money he has left in tanks and submarines.
Once I thought Putin was an intelligent leader, but it is becoming more and more obvious that he is a backwards thinking narcissist and nationalist who is only concerned with his standing in the world.
You can vote Trump if you so much desire another "strong leader" for the US.
the people of Switzerland own guns to protect their country as part of the militia, the exact same thing our Founding Fathers said in the Constitution.
Are you lying, or just parroting what someone told you? The Founding Fathers studied the failings of governments of the past, and identified private gun ownership a crucial tool for the preservation of freedom. They also saw centralized power as a threat, and sought to empower the states. Militias and private weapon ownership were both thought to be so important the right should be embodied in the Constitution that was already growing longer than desired. Some argued that they needed to spell it out or liars would pretend to misunderstand what 'Shall not' doesn't have exceptions. Others said that if you list specifics, those same liars will claim everything not specifically spelled out isn't protected, that only a fool wouldn't understand and that the document was too long already. It looks like that first group had a point. (it's not one guy, and there was a great deal of arguing)
Here is a hint: We have the letters and minutes from the meetings and don't need a crystal ball to divine the intent of the words in the Constitution. If it's unclear to you, you may read the discussion about the writing and adoption of that part of the document to gain a deeper understanding.
The only thing you're missing there is the "and he's an evil far-right-extremist..."
He just announced that he wants to sue journalists who criticize him. He despises freedom of the press and has no problem with using the law to silence critics, which is a defining hallmark of fascists like Trump.
And that resonates with people who aren't you, people that you think are "xenophobes" because their values are different.
I am proud to call myself intolerant of fascist values. Not all "values" are equally valid, and I'm nauseated to see people like you stepping up to defend American fascism as if it's just a "different set of values". Trump is toxic to the values my nation was founded upon, and his supporters are as bad or worse.
Gamertag: WyleType
Probably not. But they do know the other lying mother fuckers in the race aren't interested in helping them. The entire establishment that's been fucking them hates Trump so it's kind of an enemy of my enemy thing. If you've noticed, the more the elite in the Republican party band together against The Donald the more support he gathers. Yeah, Donald ain't all that but then they're pretty sure the other guys are going to keep on fucking them just like they have for the past few decades.
Bernie is a political hack? I'm a conservative and not really a fan of Bernie's politics but I've always viewed him as one of the very few politicians in Washington with any sort of integrity at all. Frankly I would take him over Hillary any day despite her so called "centrist" policies. The former Senator from Goldman Sachs is hardly going to be a friend to the "people."
When are you going to learn? stop replying to Anonymous Cowards.
Jack of all trades,master of none
Trump is playing a simple role, just like you said, he's playing into what people said they wanted. But the people who want his ideology in power are driven by a crippling fear for the future. Rest assured, no good will come from a leader who plays on fear, rather than quells it.
Not really. They are mostly driven by the experience of being shafted by the politicians who have lied to them for the most of their lives. It's pay-back for what the Republican party has done to their dwindling supporters. It's the hens of dishonest politics, the political consultant class, and the media pundits coming home to roost.
"Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
--- Jerry Garcia
Here are James Madisons's (the guy who wrote the Constitution) own words from Federalist Paper 46 regarding standing armies and the use of militias to oppose them:
The highest number to which, according to the best computation, a standing army can be carried in any country, does not exceed one hundredth part of the whole number of souls; or one twenty-fifth part of the number able to bear arms. This proportion would not yield, in the United States, an army of more than twenty-five or thirty thousand men. To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near half a million of citizens with arms in their hands, officered by men chosen from among themselves, fighting for their common liberties, and united and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence.
While further down Madison makes the case:
Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.
he is clearly stating that the people, i.e. the militia, will be subordinate to the powers of government in relation to opposing a standing army of the federal government. Those powers were already enumerated by Hamilton in Federalist Paper 29 in which he states the need for regular drills by the militia under the control of the government.
While these papers are not part of the writings of the delegates to the Constitution, that the men who wrote these papers had a hand in forming that Constitution and would most certainly have used similar arguments during its construction, it is clear their intended meaning was to have Americans armed for the defense of the country, as I stated, and which Switzerland employs.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
I have no problem with anyone owning a gun. I've shot them in the past
I see you have no problem with admitting murder either.
Not really. They are mostly driven by the experience of being shafted by the politicians who have lied to them for the most of their lives.
Indeed. Trump gives the impression of being more honest, by being apparently straight talking and saying things that enough people feel are true, but are "politically incorrect", combined with his outright rudness. It feels and sounds like honesty, but it's a carefully cultivated act. He's just as dishonest as the rest of them but gives the impression of not being.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
I don't really know anything about Sanders at all. It's not like I'll vote in this election and anyway, Trump occupies all the election news over here. It seems likely that Hilary will win, so I've not paid much attention beyond that.
Then he had a child out of wedlock.
So?
Desperate, he tried carpentry but could barely sink a nail. âoeHe was a shitty carpenter,â a friend told Politico Magazine. âoeHis carpentry was not going to support him, and didnâ(TM)t.â
So, he tried a job, wasn't good at it and moved on. I don't get the problem. Not everyone has to be good at everything.
Then he tried his hand freelancing for leftist rags, writing about âoemasturbation and rapeâ and other crudities for $50 a story. He drove around in a rusted-out, Bondo-covered VW bug with no working windshield wipers. Friends said he was âoealways poorâ and his âoeelectricity was turned off a lot.â
So he had a low paying job and was frugal. Seems OK to me.
They described him as a slob who kept a messy apartment â" and this is what his friends had to say about him.
Given that my friends would have said much the same about me, it would be a bit hypocritical of me to judge him on that. I have slobby tendencies. My accomodations have frequently been messy. I generally do better now, but a clean flat isn't the be-all and end-all of life. I'm a much better engineer than I am a cleaner.
In his 1971 bid for U.S. Senate, the local press said the 30-year-old âoeSanders describes himself as a carpenter who has worked with âdisturbed children.â(TM) â In other words, a real winner.
What's wrong with that?
He finally wormed his way into the Senate in 2006, where he still ranks as one of the poorest members of Congress. Save for a municipal pension, Sanders lists no assets in his name. All the assets provided in his financial disclosure form are his second wifeâ(TM)s. He does, however, have as much as $65,000 in credit-card debt.
So you don't have to be a multi-millionaire to be a senator? I'm actually rather heartened to hear that. It's good it's not just a rich man's game.
Sure, Sanders may not be a hypocrite, but this is nothing to brag about. His worthless background contrasts sharply with the successful careers of other âoeoutsidersâ in the race for the White House, including a billionaire developer, a world-renowned neurosurgeon and a Fortune 500 CEO.
Money and material wealth are not the only things of worth in this life.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Not really. They are mostly driven by the experience of being shafted by the politicians who have lied to them for the most of their lives.
And maybe Republican voters are sick of the stupid pro-religious, anti-abortion, anti-gay message that somehow hijacked the conservative agenda. Conservatism means not getting tied up with religion, and not interfering in peoples medical or sexual lives. Trump seems to steer well clear of all of these distractions and is focussing on the real threats, globalisation and immigration.
Today, most CEOs take actions to get immediate profits while hurting the company long term. They bail out of the plane after they alight it on fire, and enjoy their golden parachutes. They then move onto another firm and repeat the process.