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Last Task After Layoff at Disney: Train Foreign Replacements
The New York Times ^ | 03 June 2015 | Julia Preston

Posted on 06/03/2015 8:32:49 AM PDT by Theoria

The employees who kept the data systems humming in the vast Walt Disney fantasy fief did not suspect trouble when they were suddenly summoned to meetings with their boss.

While families rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and searched for Nemo on clamobiles in the theme parks, these workers monitored computers in industrial buildings nearby, making sure millions of Walt Disney World ticket sales, store purchases and hotel reservations went through without a hitch. Some were performing so well that they thought they had been called in for bonuses.

Instead, about 250 Disney employees were told in late October that they would be laid off. Many of their jobs were transferred to immigrants on temporary visas for highly skilled technical workers, who were brought in by an outsourcing firm based in India. Over the next three months, some Disney employees were required to train their replacements to do the jobs they had lost.

“I just couldn’t believe they could fly people in to sit at our desks and take over our jobs exactly,” said one former worker, an American in his 40s who remains unemployed since his last day at Disney on Jan. 30. “It was so humiliating to train somebody else to take over your job. I still can’t grasp it.”

The layoffs at Disney and at other companies, including the Southern California Edison power utility, are raising new questions about how businesses and outsourcing companies are using the temporary visas, known as H-1B, to place immigrants in technology jobs in the United States. These visas are at the center of a fierce debate in Congress over whether they complement American workers or displace them.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: corporatewelfare; disney; disneyh1b; economy; foreignworkers; h1b; immigration; visa; waltdisney
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1 posted on 06/03/2015 8:32:50 AM PDT by Theoria
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To: Theoria

Do they support the Jebster Arbusto?


2 posted on 06/03/2015 8:34:52 AM PDT by Paladin2 (Ive given up on aphostrophys and spell chek on my current device...)
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To: Theoria

At BellTel they would put “techs” right out of school with1 year service with us telecom techs that took 15 years to learn and get where we were and tell us to train them...Most of us told the newbies”pay attention and pick it up the way I did cause i aint teaching you squat”


3 posted on 06/03/2015 8:35:25 AM PDT by CGASMIA68
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To: Theoria

Disney is not the only company said to have done this.

Los Angeles DWP as well has been reported to have done this.

It seems illegal and not compliant with H1B policy.

I am wondering why class action lawyers are not involved.


4 posted on 06/03/2015 8:36:07 AM PDT by ifinnegan
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To: Paladin2

Shrug. I suspect Sen. Cruz could do well from them on his H1B positions.


5 posted on 06/03/2015 8:36:25 AM PDT by Theoria (I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive)
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To: Theoria

I don’t understand all the ins and outs of these H1B visas.

But, have always wondered why they even exist.

My thinking is — naturally, Americans would be hired for jobs here in America. And if there are shortages in some categories, then we should be training our own people to fill these jobs, not importing immigrants. I don’t understand how it’s legal to import immigrants to do any job in America.

Then again, I admit I don’t understand all the ins and outs. But this story sounds to me very fishy. It sounds to me like this should be illegal, if it isn’t illegal, to terminate American workers and import people from other countries to do the same job. Clearly this is not a case of a shortage of skilled people, because they already had skilled Americans doing the jobs before.


6 posted on 06/03/2015 8:36:41 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: CGASMIA68

Or as I tell them, “I will tell you everything you know, not everything I know.”


7 posted on 06/03/2015 8:37:07 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Theoria

Those who worship the god of amoral capitalism can explain why these job replacements are a good thing.


8 posted on 06/03/2015 8:37:50 AM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode (<<== Click here to learn about Evolution!)
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To: Theoria

Walt Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger’s compensation shot up 35% last fiscal year, to a total of $46.5 million


9 posted on 06/03/2015 8:39:32 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: Dilbert San Diego
From another thread:

'But one agency, the U.S. Department of Labor, wrote back last week and told the lawmakers that large H-1B using firms "are not prohibited from displacing U.S. workers" as long as they meet certain conditions, such as paying each H-1B worker at least $60,000 a year.'

$60K!!!.....

10 posted on 06/03/2015 8:40:29 AM PDT by Theoria (I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive)
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To: Theoria

Unless your IT job involves implementing new technology and involves organizational change and communication to management, it can easily be taken over by offshore resources.

The outgoing should be offered to keep their jobs at lower salary, if they were to remain onsite, and probably were offered.


11 posted on 06/03/2015 8:42:14 AM PDT by cicero2k
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To: Theoria

They continue the lie that Americans “do not have the skills” that the new people do. What they really mean is that they don’t have to pay the American worker the same as someone on a revocable visa.


12 posted on 06/03/2015 8:42:45 AM PDT by Lorianne (fed pork, bailouts, gone taxmoney)
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To: Theoria
Ted Cruz has something to say about this.

VIDEO: Sen. Cruz Ammendment to Immigration Legislation to Increase H-1B Visas

Not a typo. He did speak in favor of increasing the flow of "temporary" alien workers into our homeland. (And by increase, he means increase five-fold.)

13 posted on 06/03/2015 8:43:58 AM PDT by Dagnabitt (Islamic Immigration is Treason)
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To: cicero2k

I’d wonder if Disney intends to evolve its stuff any further.

Ticket prices have been getting ridiculous and cost cutting moves are one way to react to the pushback about that.


14 posted on 06/03/2015 8:45:21 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Dagnabitt

He’s probably going to get some earfuls.


15 posted on 06/03/2015 8:45:53 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

I wouldn’t go there now if you paid me.


16 posted on 06/03/2015 8:47:05 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: cicero2k; Theoria

Unless your IT job involves implementing new technology and involves organizational change and communication to management, it can easily be taken over by offshore resources.


These jobs weren’t/aren’t being sent offshore.....the *offshore* workers are being brought HERE!

Not only are they receiving salaries (albeit perhaps lower), they’re likely receiving additional *benefits*, compliments of you and I.


17 posted on 06/03/2015 8:47:40 AM PDT by Jane Long ("And when thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek")
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To: minnesota_bound

Walt Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger’s compensation shot up 35% last fiscal year, to a total of $46.5 million


Good to see that things are improving on the bottom line. /s

(Now we know the reason for the cheap labor. Disney - and others - get to cut salaries, while the US taxpayer gets to supplement these new imports’ living standards -— EBT, 0bola*Care*, housing, loans, etc, etc)


18 posted on 06/03/2015 8:50:14 AM PDT by Jane Long ("And when thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek")
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To: Theoria

The American worker is not important to the Democrat Party. The TAXES from the American worker are important to the Democrat Party.


19 posted on 06/03/2015 8:52:39 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: ifinnegan
I am wondering why class action lawyers are not involved.

Because Disney did not fire the employees and replace them with H-1Bs. Disney fired the employees and outsourced their IT functions to an independent vendor...who then hired a bunch of H-1Bs. The first would have been illegal, the second is looked upon as a "sound business decision that maximizes shareholder wealth."

At the end of the day one has to wonder just how good that information turnover was. If I were in that position I think there are a lot of things I would forget to mention to my replacement. Or some mistakes I would include by accident.

20 posted on 06/03/2015 8:52:46 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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