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IT Workers Facing Layoffs Jolted By CEO's Message (computerworld.com)
HCSC recently announced layoffs for more than 500 IT workers, and expects them to train their replacements from an India-based contractor. But a few days earlier, CEO Paula Steiner said, "As full-time retiring baby boomers move on to their next chapter, the makeup of our organization will consist more of young and non-traditional workers, such as part-time workers or contractors." dcblogs quotes ComputerWorld:
What Steiner didn't say in the employee broadcast is that some of the baby boomers moving "on to the next chapter" are being pushed out the door. "Obviously not all of us are 'retiring' -- a bunch of us are being thrown under the bus," said one older employee.
The insurance provider argues that its members want easier technology solutions that "help keep rising costs in check. Our IT teams are being transformed...focusing on those and other member needs." But Slashdot reader ErichTheRed writes: Having a CEO actually say in public that their company wants to engage in age discrimination and eliminate full-time employment, rather than just carry out the work in secret, is new to me... for those mid- to late-career technical folks, how have you managed to adjust to new realities like this?
The insurance provider argues that its members want easier technology solutions that "help keep rising costs in check. Our IT teams are being transformed...focusing on those and other member needs." But Slashdot reader ErichTheRed writes: Having a CEO actually say in public that their company wants to engage in age discrimination and eliminate full-time employment, rather than just carry out the work in secret, is new to me... for those mid- to late-career technical folks, how have you managed to adjust to new realities like this?
A 200,000/year H-1B quota is why the tech companies have been writing checks to the Clinton Foundation. The web monkeys and cubicle trolls of Slashdot are about to vote themselves out of their own industry.
Because Clinton and the Democrats have the power to change the quota all on their own.... right? Oh wait, that's congress.... controlled by Republicans... and you think that a Trump presidency would do anything about it?
I'm not saying that Clinton will either. But if you want change, start with voting in a Congress that will fix it.
The problem with bulk immigration, whether legal or illegal, has always been that both parties have a paradoxical alignment.
Traditionally the Republicans have been OK with it because it served the interests of corporations and big agriculture by pushing down labor costs and helping profitability. The existing system is OK because as long as the immigrants are non-citizens, they can't be a voting threat and their semi-legal to illegal status makes them disposable or willing to submit to hostile working conditions. This is why the Republicans have never done anything about illegal immigration or H1B abuse.
The Democrats have been in favor of it because it mollifies their progressive constituency's desire for social justice and multiculturalism and they believe it will give them a long term demographic base that will vote Democratic. Democrats also want to cozy up to Silicon Valley, which at least on the corporate side, is in favor of H1Bs, too.
But this has started to unravel for Republicans -- a non-trivial bloc of voters has seen through their strategy as a jobs replacement program and demanded better border enforcement. This was manageable for Republicans when they had a bottled up Tea Party segment who could scream about illegals but not do anything, but that genie has escaped the bottle and now they have Trump.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Republican establishment would back a Hillary move to expand H1Bs as a way to regain political power and try to evict the Trumpistas.
What I'm curious about is when immigration policy begins to unravel for Democrats. I'm amazed to this day that Black politicos haven't called the Democrats on immigration. It's worst effect is on African Americans who have seen Mexicans completely take over low-skilled, entry level jobs. And by rotting out the base of technical jobs that don't require professional degrees, Democrats have basically been gutting the kind of employment that allows people to pull themselves into middle class jobs and lifestyles, especially African Americans, who lack the connections and family history to gain entry to these jobs any other way.
I think the support Bernie Sanders had shows that Clinton globalization economics isn't universally popular, as does her inability to outpoll even Trump by 40 points.
The first Clinton created the H1B and NAFTA assaults on USA citizens.
The 2nd Clinton promises far worse.
Trump, like other business people, used the system. So change the damned system!
The first Clinton created the H1B and NAFTA assaults on USA citizens.
The 2nd Clinton promises far worse.
Trump, like other business people, used the system. So change the damned system!
Yeah, thinking is not one of your skill sets is it? The first Clinton NEVER created NAFTA. The first Clinton signed NAFTA in to law after the congress had voted for it (also they had a veto override capacity too). H1B's came in to existence in the 101st congress (democrat majority - also a long time before Bill Clinton).