Editorials & Other Articles

OhioChick

(23,218 posts) Mon Jul 7, 2014, 10:28 AM Jul 2014

Backlash stirs in US against foreign worker visas

Jul. 6, 2014 10:57 AM EDT

Kelly Parker was thrilled when she landed her dream job in 2012 providing tech support for Harley-Davidson's Tomahawk, Wisconsin, plants. The divorced mother of three hoped it was the beginning of a new career with the motorcycle company.

The dream didn't last long. Parker claims she was laid off one year later after she trained her replacement, a newly arrived worker from India. Now she has joined a federal lawsuit alleging the global staffing firm that ran Harley-Davidson's tech support discriminated against American workers — in part by replacing them with temporary workers from South Asia.

The firm, India-based Infosys Ltd., denies wrongdoing and contends, as many companies do, that it has faced a shortage of talent and specialized skill sets in the U.S. Like other firms, Infosys wants Congress to allow even more of these temporary workers.

But amid calls for expanding the nation's so-called H-1B visa program, there is growing pushback from Americans who argue the program has been hijacked by staffing companies that import cheaper, lower-level workers to replace more expensive U.S. employees — or keep them from getting hired in the first place.

More: http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/backlash-stirs-us-against-foreign-worker-visas

10 replies

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Highlight:

Backlash stirs in US against foreign worker visas (Original Post) OhioChick Jul 2014 OP

I hope they win overwhelmingly yeoman6987 Jul 2014 #1

Hiring H-1B workers is a way for corporations to stop investing in American workers Larkspur Jul 2014 #3

Simple fix. ChromeFoundry Jul 2014 #2

and what about all the other companies awoke_in_2003 Jul 2014 #6

Make an example with one company at a time ChromeFoundry Jul 2014 #9

Join Bright Future Jobs Larkspur Jul 2014 #4

Legal and illegal immigration is killing the American middle class. earthside Jul 2014 #5

we will be called xenophobes awoke_in_2003 Jul 2014 #7

I'm not sure I more than half-buy this argument... Chan790 Jul 2014 #8

Here's an oldie, but a goodie. Snarkoleptic Jul 2014 #10

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)

1. I hope they win overwhelmingly

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 10:33 AM

Jul 2014

This is getting out of hand. You can have immigrants come to the country to work, but not at the expense of Americans working those jobs. Maybe if an employee retires or quit, you can replace with a H-1B Visa, but not replace them due to that. I am so sadden by what our country has become.

Larkspur

(12,804 posts)

3. Hiring H-1B workers is a way for corporations to stop investing in American workers

Reply to yeoman6987 (Reply #1)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 10:44 AM

Jul 2014

Companies used to encourage employees to grow in their skills with training courses. Companies can take the expense of training their American employees as a tax write-off. Employees can not. But since H-1B visa workers became the new favorite of corporations, American employee training has decreased.

ChromeFoundry

(3,270 posts)

2. Simple fix.

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 10:33 AM

Jul 2014

Stop buying HOGS until HD looks into and fixes this. If they go two days with out sales, the problem will be fixed over night the Infosys contract will be canceled.

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)

6. and what about all the other companies

Reply to ChromeFoundry (Reply #2)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 11:32 AM

Jul 2014

doing this that we don't know about? The whole system needs fixed.

ChromeFoundry

(3,270 posts)

9. Make an example with one company at a time

Reply to awoke_in_2003 (Reply #6)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 04:51 PM

Jul 2014

This serves the purpose of drawing attention to the problem and also deters other companies from making the same poor decisions.

When you do nothing and say nothing - nothing changes.

Larkspur

(12,804 posts)

4. Join Bright Future Jobs

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 10:59 AM

Jul 2014

and help them fight unpatriotic corporations from hiring qualified American Tech workers
Bright Future Jobs

earthside

(6,960 posts)

5. Legal and illegal immigration is killing the American middle class.

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 11:17 AM

Jul 2014

There is a reason that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Bush, Inc., want expansive and permissive immigration reform: turn the United States into a permanent low-wage nation.

Let's face it, we are filled-up. We are probably a hundred million or so above an environmentally sustainable human population already. And, whether the politicians want to admit it or not, a lot of low-skilled labor will drive down wages and benefits.

Illegal immigration needs to be halted and we ought to severely cut-back on legal immigration as well.
But nobody is brave enough support that policy based on economics and environmentalism -- too much debate on this issue gets wrapped-up in xenophobia on one side and bleeding-heart compassion' on the other side.

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)

7. we will be called xenophobes

Reply to earthside (Reply #5)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 11:47 AM

Jul 2014

but I agree

Chan790

(20,176 posts)

8. I'm not sure I more than half-buy this argument...

Reply to earthside (Reply #5)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 04:29 PM

Jul 2014

Minimally, it should be as hard for them to immigrate to the US as it is for me to emigrate to an EU nation.

It's not...it's easier to come to the US than it is for me to emigrate to Spain or France or Germany from the US.

Why are we the low bar on immigration?

Snarkoleptic

(5,998 posts)

10. Here's an oldie, but a goodie.

Reply to OhioChick (Original post)

Mon Jul 7, 2014, 09:45 PM

Jul 2014

Immigration attorneys from Cohen & Grigsby explains how they assist employers in running classified ads with the goal of NOT finding any qualified applicants, and the steps they go through to disqualify even the most qualified Americans in order to secure green cards for H-1b workers. See what Bush and Congress really mean by a "shortage of skilled U.S. workers." Microsoft, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, and thousands of other companies are running fake ads in Sunday newspapers across the country each week.

http://anti-union.blogspot.com/2008/02/offshoring-and-h1b-visa-abuse-1-2-punch.html

Watch the guy at 3:09 as he notices the camera, then seems a bit distraught.

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