Editorials & Other Articles

OhioChick

(23,218 posts) Wed Jun 11, 2014, 12:32 PM Jun 2014

This IT worker had to train an H-1B replacement

U.S. workers protested job losses to foreign workers by displaying American flags in their cubicles

June 10, 2014 03:10 PM ET

This is the story of an IT worker who was replaced by a worker on an H-1B visa, one of a number of visa holders, mostly from India, who took jobs at this U.S. company. Computerworld is not going to use the worker's name or identify the companies involved to protect the former employee from retaliation. For purposes of this story, the worker has been given initials -- A.B. (They're not the person's real initials.)

At A.B.'s company, about 220 IT jobs have been lost to offshore outsourcing over the last year. A.B. is telling the story because, initially, there was little knowledge among fellow employees about H-1B visa holders and how they are used. They didn't know that offshore outsourcing firms are the largest users of H-1B visas, or exactly how this visa facilitates IT job losses in the U.S.

"I think once we learned about it, we became angrier toward the U.S. government than we were with the people that were over here from India," A.B. said, "because the government is allowing this."

The IT workers at this firm first learned of the offshore outsourcing threat through rumors. Later, the IT staff was called into an auditorium and heard directly from the CIO about the plan to replace them. It would take months for the transition to be completed, in part because of some new system installations.

More: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9248996/This_IT_worker_had_to_train_an_H_1B_replacement

24 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

This IT worker had to train an H-1B replacement (Original Post) OhioChick Jun 2014 OP

This has been happening for years. Of course, now a lot of the IT jobs are going to China. nt valerief Jun 2014 #1

The H-1b program, in its current state, needs to be abolished. n/t ChromeFoundry Jun 2014 #2

Agreed, but Larkspur Jun 2014 #5

Thanks for nothing, Hillary. antigop Jun 2014 #3

This alone is reason to oppose her in the 2016 primaries. beerandjesus Jun 2014 #7

Can anyone show me sulphurdunn Jun 2014 #8

Hillary: "Outsourcing will continue..." antigop Jun 2014 #13

There is something particularly obscene sulphurdunn Jun 2014 #18

makes you wonder what the Third Way sycophants do for a living, doesn't it? antigop Jun 2014 #19

There are only 3 things you need to know sulphurdunn Jun 2014 #20

that's exactly what it is...and the visa limits enable it. And the Third Way sycophants think their antigop Jun 2014 #22

One of the scariest parts of the article antigop Jun 2014 #14

As I noted in another thread. Perhaps a good side of immigration "reform" out with Cantor gone... cascadiance Jun 2014 #4

With giants like Google and Microsoft pushing this hard it will never change BrotherIvan Jun 2014 #6

perhaps the coporations are making money off of their employee health plans. antigop Jun 2014 #10

Interesting BrotherIvan Jun 2014 #12

let me add... antigop Jun 2014 #15

When I was employed LittleGirl Jun 2014 #9

um...the government sets the h-1b limits...so yeah, blame Congress and the President who signs antigop Jun 2014 #11

duh LittleGirl Jun 2014 #16

and the government allows it to happen by setting the limit. DUH! nt antigop Jun 2014 #17

Yes, I know LittleGirl Jun 2014 #23

Been there, done that. Thor_MN Jun 2014 #21

Kick pa28 Jun 2014 #24

valerief

(53,235 posts)

1. This has been happening for years. Of course, now a lot of the IT jobs are going to China. nt

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 12:48 PM

Jun 2014

ChromeFoundry

(3,270 posts)

2. The H-1b program, in its current state, needs to be abolished. n/t

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 12:57 PM

Jun 2014

Larkspur

(12,804 posts)

5. Agreed, but

Reply to ChromeFoundry (Reply #2)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 01:22 PM

Jun 2014

The current immigration proposal expands H1-B visas. While I support the Dreamers, I don't support the current proposal because of the H1-B expansion.

antigop

(12,778 posts)

3. Thanks for nothing, Hillary.

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 01:17 PM

Jun 2014

beerandjesus

(1,301 posts)

7. This alone is reason to oppose her in the 2016 primaries.

Reply to antigop (Reply #3)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 03:31 PM

Jun 2014

sulphurdunn

(6,891 posts)

8. Can anyone show me

Reply to antigop (Reply #3)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 03:55 PM

Jun 2014

a piece of legislation that benefited corporations at the expense of their workers or their customers that this woman or her husband every opposed?

antigop

(12,778 posts)

13. Hillary: "Outsourcing will continue..."

Reply to sulphurdunn (Reply #8)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 04:06 PM

Jun 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090702780.html

When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton flew to New Delhi to meet with Indian business leaders in 2005, she offered a blunt assessment of the loss of American jobs across the Pacific. "There is no way to legislate against reality," she declared. "Outsourcing will continue. . . . We are not against all outsourcing; we are not in favor of putting up fences."

Two years later, as a Democratic presidential hopeful, Clinton struck a different tone when she told students in New Hampshire that she hated "seeing U.S. telemarketing jobs done in remote locations far, far from our shores."

The two speeches delivered continents apart highlight the delicate balance the senator from New York, a dedicated free-trader, is seeking to maintain as she courts two competing constituencies: wealthy Indian immigrants who have pledged to donate and raise as much as $5 million for her 2008 campaign and powerful American labor unions that are crucial to any Democratic primary victory.
...
High on the agenda of union officials is an explanation of how each candidate will try to stem the loss of U.S. jobs, including large numbers in the service and technology sectors that are being taken over by cheap labor in India. During the vetting, some union leaders have found Clinton's record troubling.

"The India issue is still something people are concerned about. Her financial relationships, her quotes -- they have both gotten attention," said Thea M. Lee, policy director for the AFL-CIO.

So great, you lose your job to offshoring....or you lose your job to an h-1b visaholder.

Still waiting for HRC to tell us what IT and tech people are supposed to train for after their lose their jobs.

sulphurdunn

(6,891 posts)

18. There is something particularly obscene

Reply to antigop (Reply #13)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 05:37 PM

Jun 2014

about skilled American labor training less skilled and cheaper foreign workers to replace them in their own country. If you work for a living, anybody who makes excuses for such a thing is not your friend, will not support your interests, and you'd have to be a damn fool to support them.

antigop

(12,778 posts)

19. makes you wonder what the Third Way sycophants do for a living, doesn't it?

Reply to sulphurdunn (Reply #18)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 05:39 PM

Jun 2014

It's not just tech workers and IT people....if they keep extending the h-1b limit, any job over here can be replaced by a visaholder.

sulphurdunn

(6,891 posts)

20. There are only 3 things you need to know

Reply to antigop (Reply #19)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 05:47 PM

Jun 2014

to understand the H1-B program and its relentless expansion into the middle and upper middle professional classes: Cheap Labor, Cheap Labor and Cheap Labor when the work cannot be profitably outsourced.

antigop

(12,778 posts)

22. that's exactly what it is...and the visa limits enable it. And the Third Way sycophants think their

Reply to sulphurdunn (Reply #20)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 06:06 PM

Jun 2014

jobs cannot be replaced.

antigop

(12,778 posts)

14. One of the scariest parts of the article

Reply to sulphurdunn (Reply #8)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 04:24 PM

Jun 2014

And they say she has supported the expansion of the temporary-worker visas because U.S. technology companies have repeatedly told her the visas are needed to maintain a ready workforce.

Ah, yes, the technology companies told her the visas are needed.

cascadiance

(19,537 posts)

4. As I noted in another thread. Perhaps a good side of immigration "reform" out with Cantor gone...

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 01:18 PM

Jun 2014

... is that maybe we can have less corporatists trying to push this in to a future immigration bill. I don't think that less corporatist tea partiers will be as adamant of putting H-1B in to future bills, and hopefully we can get more progressives nominated that we can weed out the corporatists on our side that will make future immigration bills cleaner and not infected with this crap!

BrotherIvan

(9,126 posts)

6. With giants like Google and Microsoft pushing this hard it will never change

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 01:47 PM

Jun 2014

Communities and workers must come up with a better plan. Companies must be made to see that hiring US workers = profit because people will not purchase products that aren't. It's that simple. Get off our lazy, selfish asses and do it. I know there are some things such as tech hardware which might be impossible to find, but at some stage at least, insist that US workers are employed to work on it.

Our government is bought and sold. The tech supermen have dinner and drinks at the WH all the time. There is no way they will push for less outsourcing.

But they should be pushing for single payer, because then the US worker becomes much more attractive in terms of payroll. And many times I have wondered why they don't.

antigop

(12,778 posts)

10. perhaps the coporations are making money off of their employee health plans.

Reply to BrotherIvan (Reply #6)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 03:59 PM

Jun 2014

I don't know of any law that says they can't.

And remember, large companies self-insure....they only use insurance companies for billing and administration.

BrotherIvan

(9,126 posts)

12. Interesting

Reply to antigop (Reply #10)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 04:05 PM

Jun 2014

Explains why that disgusting CEO complained of having to pay for a sick baby

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555527/Mother-one-AOLs-costly-distressed-babies-speaks-CEO-blamed-pension-cost-cuts.html

antigop

(12,778 posts)

15. let me add...

Reply to BrotherIvan (Reply #12)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 04:25 PM

Jun 2014

Up above I said that large companies only use insurance companies for billing and administration.

Companies can make use of reinsurance to protect themselves from large employee medical bills.

LittleGirl

(8,280 posts)

9. When I was employed

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Wed Jun 11, 2014, 03:55 PM

Jun 2014

we had several guys in the programming dept with H1-B visas from India. I don't know what they were paid but being one of the few women that worked for that company in IT, I'm sure I made less than they did. I don't blame the government for letting it happen, I blame the companies who wouldn't freaking hire within for those positions. The jobs are gone now and so is my former position as well. I left because I saw the writing on the wall. After I got a BS in Management instead of another IT Certificate.