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Outsourcing hits US techies hard
Times of India ^ | MAY 26, 2003 | CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

Posted on 05/26/2003 3:51:30 PM PDT by Lessismore

WASHINGTON: On a recent April afternoon in Silicon Valley, moments after he was told he had been laid off from his computer programming job at a Bank of America training centre, Kevin Flanagan stepped into the parking lot and shot himself dead.

Some of America's technology workers, who like Flanagan have also had to collect pink slips over the last several months, think they know why Flanagan took his life: Bank of America not only outsourced his job to India, but forced him to train Indian workers to do the job he had to give up.

In the weeks since his death, the techies have used the incident as fuel to fire a campaign against outsourcing to India, an issue that now seems poised to become a major sticking point between the two countries. Several US states are already considering legislation to ban or limit outsourcing.

Bank of America is one of several major US corporations – General Electric, Microsoft, Intel are among others - under scrutiny for outsourcing jobs to India. The Bank created what is called a "Global Delivery centre" in 2000 to identify projects that could be sent offshore.

Since then it has signed agreements with Infosys and Tata Consulting Services (TCS) to provide solutions and services.

In an e-mail exchange with this correspondent, Kevin's father Tom Flanagan said "a significant reason for which my son took his life was indeed as a result of his job being outsourced."

"Did he blame India for his job loss? No. He blamed the "system." He couldn't understand why Americans are losing jobs. Rather I should say he understood it economically, but not emotionally," Flanagan said.

Bank officials, who did not return calls relating to Flanagan's death, have said in the past that the deal with Indian companies would effect no more than 5 per cent of the bank's 21,000 employees, or about 1,100 jobs, in its technology and operations division.

According to some surveys, the US has lost at least 800,000 jobs in the past year and some 3.3 million jobs will move overseas over the next few years because of outsourcing, mostly to India.

The Bank has also acknowledged that it had asked local workers to train foreigners because such knowledge transfer was essential. According to Tom Flanagan, his son was "totally disgusted" with the fact that he and his fellow-workers had to train foreigners to do his job so they could take over. "That sir is a travesty," he said in one e-mail.

US tech workers are challenging the corporate world's claim that it is outsourcing work to improve bottomlines and efficiency. Some analysts have also pointed out that US corporations were being forced to tighten up by the same people who are moaning about outsourcing, and who, heavily invested in the stock market, demand better performance.

But on one website that discussed the Flanagan case, a tech worker pointed out that data processing consumed only a small per cent of revenues and was hardly a drain on the Bank's profit.

"(It is) a prosperous bank which has let greed trump any sense of patriotism or social responsibility," he fumed.


TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: catholiclist; michaeldobbs
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To: Maximum Leader
It's coming! An Indian-American lawyer I know is negotiating a joint venture with a law firm in India to handle much of the grunt work that associates and paralegals would do here (you can scan and and e-mail just about anything).

You're right. Now if only we could offshore the trial lawyers and their lawsuits as well.

141 posted on 05/26/2003 6:10:22 PM PDT by Huber
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To: Pukin Dog
That applies to the American people that can't compete with slave wages as well.
142 posted on 05/26/2003 6:10:45 PM PDT by Monty22
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To: Age of Reason
wanna know when will the trend to outsource CEO's start.

Never, when everything else is outsourced, they'll have the board "fire" them, with a golden parachute that will see them and their heirs through for quite a long while.

143 posted on 05/26/2003 6:10:51 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: Pukin Dog
Going into any particular industry because of how well it pays is really not too smart.

Strawman. I never claimed that that's why I went into IT. You mentioned that you did well for yourself and managed to save enough money to retire. I retorted with the fact that those people who are not jobless did well for themselves as well and would've continued to do so if they didn't face people who can live on $100-150 a month.

I dont care if a good pilot comes from India or China, many already do. If one puts me out of work, so be it.

Nice response. Given that you were in the Navy - that's rich, since they wouldn't be competing with you.

144 posted on 05/26/2003 6:12:34 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: GatorGirl; maryz; *Catholic_list; afraidfortherepublic; Antoninus; Aquinasfan; Askel5; livius; ...
A Catholic Caucus Ping. What does the Church have to say about the duties and obligations of employer and employee? Is the outsourcing of jobs moral, or morally neutral?
145 posted on 05/26/2003 6:13:43 PM PDT by narses (Christe Eleison)
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To: BrooklynGOP
Now tell me how *you* would compete against a pilot who can live on $100-150 a month. Looking forward to your reply.

You are not paying attention. I would NOT compete against someone working for that amount. However, if an Airline wanted to park me in a 747-400, I would be happy to do it for the experience alone. Any money would be icing on the cake.

146 posted on 05/26/2003 6:14:05 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Incorrigible
"In my 15 years since graduation, I've drifted between development, consulting, management and sales. I'm currently in sales. I'm feeling pretty secure at the moment until everyone is willing to accept tele-video sales calls from India!"

I'm in sales as well. Seems that folks like us gravitate to sales; not because of the trade, but because of our experience.

147 posted on 05/26/2003 6:15:16 PM PDT by bribriagain
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To: YankeeReb
Have them get an ENGINEERING degree first. If they want to do computers, tell them to get a CS AND an EE dual-major degree. Then they get to BOSS the techies and their skill set applies to all of the subsets.
148 posted on 05/26/2003 6:16:05 PM PDT by narses (Christe Eleison)
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To: narses
Is the outsourcing of jobs moral, or morally neutral?

Morally neutral.

149 posted on 05/26/2003 6:16:21 PM PDT by sinkspur
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To: mlmr
That's right, you can go onto every newsgroup, messages boards like CNET, here on FR, and hear the same thing: Dell's tech support is now very bad. But do you see Dell doing anything to bring it back to the US? No, they know that they sell their product mostly on cost, bringing it back will result in higher costs, they will not do it. And since all of their competitors are moving support to India also, no one had an edge.
150 posted on 05/26/2003 6:16:58 PM PDT by oceanview
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To: Pukin Dog
"However, if an Airline wanted to park me in a 747-400, I would be happy to do it for the experience alone. Any money would be icing on the cake."

What planet are you from?
151 posted on 05/26/2003 6:17:04 PM PDT by Monty22
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To: BrooklynGOP
What is 'rich' is that you dont understand that for what I did in the Navy, I endured more intense competition than most civilians will ever experience.

Competition keeps you sharp. Americans should not be afraid of it. They should be afraid of having no one to compete against.
152 posted on 05/26/2003 6:17:26 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Monty22
The planet of those who love to fly, and do not need the money. Consider the context of the statement when it was made. It was regarding competing with someone making next to nothing.
153 posted on 05/26/2003 6:19:23 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Pukin Dog
Well good for you..

You realize that almost nobody can afford to work for nothing, right?

You're alienating yourself by acting smug and saying 'who cares about jobs, I don't need one!'
154 posted on 05/26/2003 6:20:20 PM PDT by Monty22
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To: sinkspur
What teaching has the Church done on this that leads you to that conclusion?
155 posted on 05/26/2003 6:21:32 PM PDT by narses (Christe Eleison)
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To: Pukin Dog
You are not paying attention. I would NOT compete against someone working for that amount. However, if an Airline wanted to park me in a 747-400, I would be happy to do it for the experience alone. Any money would be icing on the cake.

You gotta admit - the above is quite a retreat from what you were saying before: Nope, I only flew jets for two decades, while managing to save enough money to not be worried about finding a job anytime soon.

Obviously you wouldn't be able to do all that if you had to compete with foreign workers like the IT people are doing now.

156 posted on 05/26/2003 6:23:15 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: Pukin Dog
Some of us do want to fight against the US turning into a third world country. Yes, the Ayn Rand fans can cheer when the Bank of "America", ships it's IT jobs overseas, but for others, it is depressing news. With no manufacturing base, retail in a slump... what exactly does an 18 year old have to look forward to in this economy? Average rents where I am are $750 for a 1 bedroom apartment. Maybe put in bunk beds in the bedroom, have somebody crash on the sofa... but you can not compete with near slave wages and ramshack housing.

If you live in a country where the cost of an apartment is $20 a month, you can accept a much lower wage. How is that an even playing field? If just food staples, housing, and basic transportation cost more than what a worker somewhere else is paid, you can't buck up, and tighten the belt, unless it's around your throat.

Vietnamese subcontractors for Nike pay some workers $.17 cents an hour. You work 16 hours a day, 6 days a week, with no vacation, and you have earned $5,616. Compete with that. With 2.3 billion people in china and India, you can't compete with that.

Another example... You are a sprocket maker. You get paid $8 an hour. You can assemble 80 sprockets an hour. It costs the company $.10 a sprocket for you to do this job.

There is some guy in Cambodia, who can assemble 20 sprockets an hour. His wages are $.20 an hour. The cost for labor is $.01 per sprocket. The company hires him and 3 other people with similar skills, 1/4th as good as yours, and ends up paying them $.80 to your $8.00. Wow, you should have competed better. Your choice is to drop your salary to $.80 an hour, or create 800 sprockets an hour just to compete with these guys salary wise.

Fun, fun, fun.

157 posted on 05/26/2003 6:23:54 PM PDT by dogbyte12
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To: Tokhtamish
"Do you see European countries exporting their skilled jobs ?"

Yes, and importing muslim workers too.

"European workers have a strong voice to protect their standard of living."

You mispelled FEATHERBEDDING, and the consequences are a deteriorating economy and a declining indigineous workforce. Socialism is DEATH.
158 posted on 05/26/2003 6:24:42 PM PDT by narses (Christe Eleison)
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To: Pukin Dog
Competition keeps you sharp. Americans should not be afraid of it. They should be afraid of having no one to compete against.

You still haven't provided any kind of a solution to competing with those who are fine living on $100-150.

159 posted on 05/26/2003 6:25:24 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: BrooklynGOP
Would you rather have a creative programmer job or a fill in the code programmer job?
160 posted on 05/26/2003 6:26:42 PM PDT by Texaggie79 (pimps up, hoes down!)
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