Posted on 05/01/2015 6:28:05 PM PDT by markomalley
The H-1B visa issue rarely surfaces during presidential races, and that's what makes the entrance by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) into the 2016 presidential race so interesting.
As a senator, Sanders does not have a lot of political clout. He's an independent socialist whose major campaign contributors are unions. But Sanders this week announced he's running for the Democratic nomination for president, a move that could raise the visibility of the H-1B visa as a national issue.
Sanders is very skeptical of the H-1B program, and has lambasted tech firms for hiring visa workers at the same time they're cutting staff. He's especially critical of the visa's use in offshore outsourcing.
"Last year, the top 10 employers of H-1B guest workers were all offshore outsourcing companies," Sanders said in a Senate speech in 2013. "These firms are responsible for shipping large numbers of American information technology jobs to India and other countries."
The points raised by Sanders echo those made by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who chairs the Senate's Immigration subcommittee. In fact, Sanders was one of 10 senators who signed a recent letter by Sessions and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to several federal departments seeking an investigation into H-1B use.
(Excerpt) Read more at computerworld.com ...
“I’m against H-1b, I’m for amnesty!”
Bizarre indeed.
Didn’t think I’d every agree with Bernie Sanders on something.
My main beef with the H-1B(S) is that it seems we have workers in the U. S. in the fields these people are being hired for.
That isn’t right. A little brush-up training for citizens and they folks would be good to go.
I don’t believe in discarding workers with long work experience just to save a buck.
We’re stabbing our neighbors in the back here, and I don’t believe in it.
I bet L-1a are worse.
Me too Bernie!! I hate the robbery of American jobs. You say it just like it is old timer!!
Reagan knew how to use populist but conservative issues to attract the working class voters. Cruze is the only 2016 candidate that I see with those instincts.
Ironic Sanders is supported by unions but companies hire foreign workers because of high unions costs.
(He wants to explode H1b numbers - seeks a 500 percent increase)
Exactly correct. I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer, and I also teach CompTIA “Plus” courses and many other skills. I never saw an older employee who didn’t gain new skills and insight when taking a course...
In fact, they often are my very best students, as they can use previous knowledge and skills to extrapolate how the new stuff works.
But they rarely get hired.
Truth?
The cost the company far more in wages—benefits: Medical, paid leave, insurance, retirement to name a few. The companies DO NOT have to do that for H-1Bs.
Yes, but you’re making the same mistake I did.
Present union employees are almost impossible to let go, in order to hire green card holders.
That should read:
They cost the company far more than just wages...
My exact take on it. Thanks for your insight.
I appreciate the fact that you see it first hand. It used to be you couldn’t pay enough for expertise. Now they can’t pay too little for it.
While we are at it, how about eliminating the ‘diversity visa?’ It has the inherently un American principle of choosing people not based on individual merit but merely on nation of origin.
You’re probably right.
Bernie is a communist not a socialist. He uses the term socialist like the other Democrats use Progressive because it is more palatable to the ignorant masses.
That program has been a con job for a long time. I worked for a state employment agency and part of my job was to look at the descriptions of the jobs companies submitted when they wanted to bring in a foreign worker. By law, companies had to advertise the position with the state employment agency and sometimes in trade magazines or newspapers first, to see if any Americans applied and were qualified. It was all BS. The companies always worded the job description so that it was a precise fit for the foreign worker they had in mind. Until they made them stop, the companies would include the requirement that the person speak the native language of the foreigner they intended to hire. It isn’t a matter of not being able to find an American worker who can do the job; it’s a matter of foreigners willing to work for far less pay.
Won’t it be fun to watch rich liberal techies like Gates and Zuckerberg squirm when a leftist goes against their goals? I love it when liberals fight.
How severe do you consider the ageism in IT?
The problem is that companies are laying off Americans who go on benefits and get replaced by foreigners who send much of the money back.
One of the biggest frustrations I had was writing IT scripts for tasks we’d outsourced, calling in a problem for an expert, having an idiot try to run through the script. I said it needed to get elevated to XYZ, person said we had to go through all the questions first. I brought up the script I’d written, read the bottom half of the page he was on, said I’ve gone through all that, now per line X, elevate it to so-and-so.
Some of the work was moved to foreigners from India, some of it kept with Americans who were turned into contractors and faced a pay cut or else lose all income.
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