With H-1B Cap Hit, Zuckerberg and Ballmer-Led Groups Press For More Tech Visas

[ElNono]

With the FY2016 H-1B visa cap reached (http://www.computerworld.com/article/2907056/h-1b-cap-is-reached-with-high-number-of-visa-requests.html) in the first week of April (only the USCIS (http://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-reaches-fy-2016-h-1b-cap) knows how many applications were submitted by outsourcing companies (http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-demand-for-skilled-worker-visas-exceeds-annual-supply-1428431798) and from Bentonville, AR (http://www.aflcio.org/content/download/152961/3843901/Walmart+and+Tech+Industry_4115Final.pdf)), it's no surprise that groups like Mark Zuckerberg's FWD.us PAC and Steve Ballmer's Partnership for a New American Economy Action Fund are pooh-poohing Jesse Jackson's claims (http://www.cnbc.com/id/102290336) that foreign high-tech workers are taking American jobs, and promoting the idea that what's really holding back Americans from jobs is a lack of foreign tech workers with H-1B visas (http://www.renewoureconomy.org/home/press-release-new-ad-campaign-new-research-highlight-need-high-skilled-immigration-reform/).

[MultiTroll]

Are there really a lack of U.S. techs or are Zuckerphuck and Ballsey paying less to VisaTech?

[boutons_deux]

Are there really a lack of U.S. techs or are Zuckerphuck and Ballsey paying less to VisaTech?

the tech BigCorps want H1b expanded by 100Ks per year, because East, South Asians are much cheaper.

If the supply of US workers were limited, employers would be raising their salaries, when in fact, STEM professional salaries have stood still or declined over the last 10 years, just like everybody else in the 99%.

[Wild Cobra]

I don't know what to say about this because I am not working for a place that hires foreigners any more.

When I did work for a place using the H1b system, I did notice that there truly was a shortage of US workers who could really do the job.

Our education system simply sucks, and our standards are slipping even in the universities.

Want such a thing to go away... Demand hire standards.

[ElNono]

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has asked for an investigation into whether companies are firing American workers and replacing them with foreign workers for the sake of cutting costs.

"Ten U.S. senators, representing the political spectrum, are seeking a federal investigation into displacement of IT workers by H-1B-using contractors (http://www.computerworld.com/article/2908124/10-us-senators-seek-investigation-into-h-1b-driven-layoffs.html#googleplus). They are asking the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Labor Department to investigate the use of the H-1B program "to replace large numbers of American workers" at Southern California Edison (SCE) and other employers. The letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and the secretaries of the two other departments, was signed by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight over the Justice Department. The other signers are Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), a longtime ally of Grassley on H-1B issues; Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), David Vitter (R-La.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.). Neither California senator signed on. "Southern California Edison ought to be the tipping point that finally compels Washington to take needed actions to protect American workers," Sessions said. Five hundred IT workers at SCE were cut, and many had to train their replacements."

[boutons_deux]

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has asked for an investigation into whether companies are firing American workers and replacing them with foreign workers for the sake of cutting costs.

"Ten U.S. senators, representing the political spectrum, are seeking a federal investigation into displacement of IT workers by H-1B-using contractors (http://www.computerworld.com/article/2908124/10-us-senators-seek-investigation-into-h-1b-driven-layoffs.html#googleplus). They are asking the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Labor Department to investigate the use of the H-1B program "to replace large numbers of American workers" at Southern California Edison (SCE) and other employers. The letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and the secretaries of the two other departments, was signed by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight over the Justice Department. The other signers are Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), a longtime ally of Grassley on H-1B issues; Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), David Vitter (R-La.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.). Neither California senator signed on. "Southern California Edison ought to be the tipping point that finally compels Washington to take needed actions to protect American workers," Sessions said. Five hundred IT workers at SCE were cut, and many had to train their replacements."

Even if other employers are or will do what SoCal Edison has done, Congress won't do anything but talk, no walk.

Freedom! For BigCorp to enrich themselves whil screwing employees and America.

[boutons_deux]

VRWC War On Employees

Fury rises at Disney over use of foreign workers

Disney CEO Bob Iger is one of eight co-chairs of the Partnership for a New American Economy (http://www.renewoureconomy.org/about/), a leading group advocating for an increase in the H-1B visa cap. Last Friday, this partnership was a sponsor of an H-1B briefing at the U.S. Capitol for congressional staffers. The briefing was closed to the press.

One of the briefing documents handed out at the congressional forum made this claim: "H-1B workers complement - instead of displace - U.S. Workers." It explains that as employers use foreign workers to fill "more technical and low-level jobs, firms are able to expand" and allow U.S. workers "to assume managerial and leadership positions."

The document was obtained by Norman Matloff, a computer science professor at the University of California at Davis and a longtime critic of the H-1B program. He posted it on his blog (https://normsaysno.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/remarkable-congressional-briefing-on-h-1b/).

Disney says its restructuring wasn't about displacing workers, but was intended to shift more IT resources to projects involving innovation. That involves hiring many new people to fill new roles. Prior to the reorganization, 28% of Disney's IT staff were in roles focused on new capabilities; after this reorganization, that figure was 65%, a source at Disney said.




"We have restructured our global technology organization to significantly increase our cast member focus on future innovation and new capabilities, and are continuing to work with leading technical firms to maintain our existing systems as needed," Jacquee Wahler, a Walt Disney World spokesperson, said in a statement.

Disney officials did not want to comment about the situation beyond that statement.

From the perspective of five laid-off Disney IT workers, all of whom agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, Disney cut well-paid and longtime staff members, some who had been previously singled out for excellence, as it shifted work to contractors. These contractors used foreign labor, mostly from India. The laid-off workers believe the primary motivation behind Disney's action was cost-cutting.

"Some of these folks were literally flown in the day before to take over the exact same job I was doing," said one of the IT workers who lost his job. He trained his replacement and is angry over the fact he had to train someone from India "on site, in our country."

Disney officials promised new job opportunities as a result of the restructuring, and employees marked for termination were encouraged to apply for those positions. But the workers interviewed said they knew of few co-workers who had landed one of the new jobs.

http://www.itworld.com/article/2915871/careers/fury-rises-at-disney-over-use-of-foreign-workers.html?phint=newt%3Ditworld_today&phint=idg_eid%3De9a1bab1fadac3242d97a6dde939315b#t k.ITWNLE_nlt_today_2015-04-29

"globalization" and "free trade" always was, still is about enriching the 1% and screwing the 99%.

[boutons_deux]

Here's Cotton whored to BigCorp and pushing to "undermine", replace well-paid US citizens with cheap Asians.

Tom Cotton makes populist argument for “reorientation toward ultra-high-skill immigrants”

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/28/tom-cotton-makes-populist-argument-for-reorientation-toward-ultra-high-skill-immigrants/

[Winehole23]

American talent is whiny and expensive. You can't outlaw labor arbitrage.

[Winehole23]

oh wait a minute, maybe you can; Trump'll fix it for us.