Posted on 02/11/2009 8:46:40 AM PST by QenBirQeni
The Senate voted Friday to restrict the hiring of foreign workers by banks that are receiving government bailout funds while undergoing vast layoffs.
The legislation by Sens. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, would require the banks to seek American workers before turning to foreign nationals when they're hiring. It aims to prevent replacement of Americans by foreigners working under the H-1B visa program, which allows employers to bring in workers for high-skilled and advanced-degree jobs.
The measure has a two-year life and if signed into law would apply to the more than 300 banks that are receiving money from the taxpayer-funded Troubled Asset Relief Program.
The Senate added the restriction as part of the massive economic stimulus package lawmakers are crafting as part of President Barack Obama's plan to reinvigorate the economy.
If it becomes law, banks seeking visas to bring in foreign workers would be barred from displacing or replacing American employees for three months before and three months after petitioning the government for the visas.
...
Partial data from the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services suggests that the banks ultimately got visas for only about one-quarter of the number of workers they initially sought permission to employ. For example, the banks and their subsidiaries filed more than 5,000 visa applications with Labor Department officials during the 2006 budget year. After that step, they ended up with about 1,200 new workers approved by the Citizenship and Immigration agency.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
There are plenty of American workers out there seeking jobs as it is.... We don’t need foreigners taking those jobs.
There was a chicken processing plant that was raided by ICE back in ‘06 or ‘07 and several bus loads of illegals were carted off. The following day hundreds of Americans were lined up at the gates seeking jobs with that company now that positions were open.
Illegals as farm workers? I say hell no! Let state prisoners do the work that these illegals do.
Easy there. You might start a riot with that. However, I agree with your viewpoint, that government needs to but out of most aspects of the free market.
WOW - I am surprised to see Bernie Sanders on the right side of ANY issue, much less something that would be good for the country.
There is nothing that drives me more crazy than when I have to call customer service and I get someone who can barely speak English. Drives me up the wall.
It would be nice if we could attach this to ALL employment - Americans first. I’m thinking in the construction industry (home building, roofing, masonry, etc.) especially.
Yes very interesting that supporters of free trade, foreign labor, and other Economic Anti-American things...are on the left of Bernie Sanders...but, while in bed with people like Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, etc)
Our unemployment rate would drop precipitously if there was a ban on foreign hires now....and the hiring of Americans would start a trend for other businesses to hire American
Since foreign workers are only hired to lower wages...their hiring (which is non-market)....depresses wages, and puts less money into the economy...esp an economy so driven on consumer spending...
Of course, that is if the jobs arent shipped overseas...
And, those non-American call centers....aaargh
In reality it does not work that way....
Hiring foreign workers only depresses wages, and drives down the economy. Also, with an unemployment rate around 7.6%...there is zero need to hire foreign workers.
This is always the argument used by pro-illegal alien advocates....and its destructive to the American economy
I would rather hire Americans...than have them collecting government assistance
Most American made products are not made by unions...
You would rather buy Chinese crap...and keep in power the Chinese Communist Party? Can you sing the Internationale, too?
A government that rigs tax and immigration law to favor noncitizens is not representative of "we the people." A government that ignores existing laws to these ends is even less so. The CONSTITUTION exists for the people, to protect life, liberty and property. It doesn't exist to justify impoverishing those people, citizens, in the pursuit of ever-lower labor costs, that are ultimately self destructive.
No, I don't. I don't have to accept Americans losing their jobs in their own country. NOT AT ALL.
If you ever wanted a revolution then telling people like myself to suck it up and accept immigrants taking my living away from me is the surest way to do it.
I am sure you will tell us what part of the Constitution says we can fire Americans, non-market low ball foreign workers, and pay tax dollars to US companies to out-source (USAID and other programs)
Our Constitutional framers were quite American and protectionist
I’m not a conservative? Ummm....OK. Of course, we all are about smaller government, but this is one area where the government could actually do something that was good for the American people.
OK, so let me get this straight - you are saying that it is better for a landscaping company to hire 15 Mexicans, whom they can pay for half the wage, which takes 15 jobs from American citizens and depresses wages in that job market? Or is it better for a home builder, masonry contractor, or painting company to do the same thing? Do you know anyone personally who has been affected by this hiring trend? I do and it is horrible to see. It is wrong.
Yes. You are partially correct. During a normal economy lower wages result in lower prices, but capital spending (investment) is not affected, therefore the economy is positively impacted. However, during a recession, there is a multiplier effect on wages and prices, and it negatively affects capital expenditures. I understand why the independent senator from Vermont is wanting a two year freeze on hiring foreign workers.
I sympathize with you. My job got outsourced as well. I’m thinking of working for McDonalds. Try outsourcing that job!
Bummer to hear about that...and good luck in finding another job.
Your plight is not unusual. Many people are losing jobs to foreigners (most who are less qualified and less skilled)
“No. Hiring only domestic is the same as protectionism. Let the best be hired.”
Goodness. How do you hire the ‘best’ Americans when the jobs are being given to foreigners? You destroy competition with imported cheap labor. Evidently you don’t care.
Nah. They’re willing to collect the unemployment benefits America is running out of and has to borrow money to pay.
I warned of this. It’s just a matter of immigration law reform when everything is going well. When things aren’t so swell, it becomes a matter of survival — then what do we do with them.
Dummies, dummies, dummies. If you can’t think, run for office.
Oh no, that would be "forced labor." As if labor isn't forced in some of these offshore utopias we're spending billions with.
Looks like I have ruffled a few feathers here :-). If we can import the cheapest of at least acceptable quality from China and other places, why stop at goods ?
“I thought we all liked small Government??”
No, Kevin, you like government that sets up hiring of illegal aliens over Americans with thousands of pages of cheap labor deals. Government has no business setting up any of these programs.
Why do you think Americans shouldn’t have jobs? Are we all supposed to be conning the government like the “free traders” and global socialists? The problem with that is, because of “free trade” the government relies on income tax to raise the money to be conned out of them by the “free traders”. If Americans don’t have jobs, who pays the income tax so you guys can loot it?
Yeah,that doesn’t bode well for voters. I’ll be damned if I collect unemployment. I have enough savings to make it last until I find work. And if jobs in my field of expertise dry up, I’ll work for Obama’s soon to be gigantic bureaucracy.
These were the folks who did it the right way and this crisis has made their lives unbearable. That's right, don't listen, drag your feet on doing something about this mess, but let's rush through the Stimulus Bill.
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