400 American workers fired, replaced by H1-B Visas

[Black Heart]

The H1-B visa is for filling jobs that Americans cannot do? That has once again, proven to be a lie.



In Search of Cheap Labor in Tech: Behind the H1-B Visa Scenes

by Wolf Richter • February 5, 2015

IT workers of Southern California Edison get laid off – with a twist

In April, 2014, it emerged that Southern California Edison, a utility with about 14,000 employees at the time, was planning another round of layoffs. Most of them would be in its Information Technology Department, which had 1,800 employees and 1,500 contract workers. SCE admitted to the plan but told the LA Times that it hadn’t finalized the number. State Senator Alex Padilla then told the paper that as many as 500 employees and 500 contractors would be let go.

Laying off workers and outsourcing some functions was part of its “ongoing efforts to act as cost effectively and prudently as possible in operations for its customers.” These efforts at the IT department would “enable an increase in quality, speed and capabilities while lowering costs,” SCE explained. “By better leveraging the knowledge, skills and expertise of industry vendors, SCE will adopt a proven business strategy commonly and successfully used by other top U.S. companies.”

Namely laying off American employees and bringing in cheaper H1-B visa holders from India.

IT workers in the process of getting axed often sign severance agreements that contain non-disparagement and confidentiality clauses that bar them from discussing the situation in public. Plus there are fears that if they discussed the situation publicly, they might be blacklisted and not find another job. But now some of these affected SCE employees have talked to Computerworld.

SCE confirmed having hired Infosys, in Bangalore, and Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai, two of the largest users of H-1B visas, to provide the H1-B workers.

“They are bringing in people with a couple of years’ experience to replace us, and then we have to train them,” one longtime IT worker told Computerworld. “It’s demoralizing, and in a way I kind of felt betrayed by the company.”

The H-1B program “was supposed to be for projects and jobs that American workers could not fill,” another worker said. “But we’re doing our job. It’s not like they are bringing in these guys for new positions that nobody can fill,” he said. “Not one of these jobs being filled by India was a job that an Edison employee wasn’t already performing.”



Southern California Edison IT workers 'beyond furious' over H-1B replacements | Computerworld

[robuzo]

^My cousin worked for 15 years at Siemens in the US- when she was laid off and given the choice of training her replacement in India and receiving a severance package, or refusing to perform said training and receive nothing.

[rickschoppers]

Really not surprising and is one of the causes for the US decline.

[buriramboy]

Is it cheaper to use these H1-B visa people from India than the prison population, but I guess not enough prisoners capable of doing the work. Guess the US will be locking up a few hundred thousand IT workers soon then.

[jamescollister]

Happening all over the world, last time I worked, prison was building a new wing.
Chinese trucking company, in Australia got the transport contract for materials, all the drivers where Chinese on work permits.
Alleged shortage of semi trailer Australian truck drivers, reality, minimum wages, no union and illegally lived in the trucks.
Fine for the Chinese who took the money home, camped out on site, no bills etc.
Not fine for locals who have to pay rent/mortgage, power bills etc
Probably a few unemployed truck drivers now living in that new prison wing.

[Necron99]

Simply an extension of the privileges to domestic corporations that free trade deals have long given multinationals.
Cheap labour a the cost of local jobs.
Have to be fair...

[ltnt]

Lobbyists...

[bsnub]

This is common in the IT community here in the US. Plenty of stinky Indians taking jobs. You have to morph into some other skill set.

[ltnt]

Send your thank you cards to Bill Gates and his cronies.

[beazalbob69]

Send your thank you cards to Bill Gates and his cronies.

Hey,hey! But, but, but he is a philanthropist.

[BobR]

Really not surprising and is one of the causes for the US decline.

Yep, our economy is collapsing because there are relatively few people left that make more than a barely survivable wage and therefore have no disposable income whatsoever.

We knock Thailand, but maybe their employment laws that only let foreigners perform jobs there are no Thais available to do actually make sense.

[Black Heart]

This article shows the wage difference of local worker to H1-B.

As we know, the work permit is tied to the job.

Pure savings. Pure and simple. And the "knowledge transfer:" train your replacement or no severance and no unemployment benefits.

Outsourcing in America | TheHill

[Luigi]

Capitalism.

[VocalNeal]

In fairness IT is not a profit centre is it? It is a cost centre so someone smarter than me decides to cut costs they must...

However I am reminded of the brilliant person who decided that to save money, the company would no longer buy $5 mechanical pencils for the staff but would instead save money buy buying $1 wooden pencils. Within weeks the majority had a $35 electric pencil sharpener on their desk!

[PeeCoffee]

Once again , remind me what the concept of Globalization really means...

[Black Heart]

Capitalism.

Oversimplification, Luigi.

It's not about "isms."

[Boon Mee]

IT worker replaced by foreign labor regrets voting for Obama.

National Review

Imagine that?

[Boon Mee]

It used to be that Americans who are petitioning what was their government, sponsoring a fiance were given the highest priority in immigrant visa processing. Even in that case it was a lengthy process, with wait times of from three months to a year.

That was back when the American government was a “by the people, for the people” type of arrangement. Now that it has been converted into one which views the citizens as mere peasants deserving of their disdain and oppression, the privileges (and rights) once associated with American citizenship are rapidly disappearing.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has released a document provided to them in response to a request for information by Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley, and his colleagues, Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL).






Some interesting reshuffling of the priorities has taken place, ones which bestow illegals with the fast-track Obama stamp of priority processing as well as the wage-busting cheap labor wanted by his big business cronies. The priority processing status has been shifted to a new group, and while they are provided a fast-track, the shift of focus and resources has resulted in the waiting period for other groups that have been greatly increased. There is no free lunch and those working within the system legally are paying the price for those who didn’t.

Applications filed under the outlaw Obama’s DACA program have replaced those of American citizens petitioning their foreign fiancé’s and other groups as a top priority. Just as in their tactics of flooding the country with foreigners, Homeland Security and the immigration services under its jurisdiction have become little more than a political tool for the movement of the regime’s Marxist agenda.

In this case, rather than delay the processing of illegals into American society until they were able to handle the additional workload they were creating, Hussein Obama and his co-conspirators at DHS simply reassigned the waiting period to others. Their agenda comes first and 2016 will be here before we know it. These illegals will be needed for their fraudulent Democrat votes."

Illegals First - American Citizens, Legal Immigrants Wait As Obama Rewards Illegal Squatters With Priority Processing ? UFP NEWS

It's an Obama World!

[misskit]

ones which bestow illegals with the fast-track Obama stamp of priority processing as well as the wage-busting cheap labor wanted by his big business cronies.

little more than a political tool for the movement of the regime’s Marxist agenda

Who writes this stuff?

Obama is a capitalist following the demands of big business to have low cost employees. This in no way shape or form is a Marxist agenda.

Rightwingnuts are VERY confused about Capitalism vs. Marxism.

Care to explain, BM?

[ltnt]

Welcome to the promise land...Boon Mee

[Black Heart]

Only in America.....

Foreign competitors in the next cubicle
Mugshot of Dan McSwainBy Dan McSwain | Aug. 27, 2015

San Diegans already know full well that foreigners are competing for their jobs. They don’t need national politicians from Donald Trump to Bernie Sanders telling them to worry.

Consider the recent blowback from layoff decisions of two prominent regional companies, Qualcomm and Southern California Edison.

The layoffs highlighted a controversial corner of immigration policy occupied by H-1B visas, which allow companies to hire foreign workers for up to six years in “specialty” occupations such as software, engineering, biotech or even fashion modeling.

Early this year, Edison began displacing about 500 information technology workers, about 100 voluntarily and 400 through layoffs. But their functions were outsourced to Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, two giant firms based in India.

Before they left, some workers were compelled to train their replacements, and some of them were foreign nationals working in the U.S.

The H-1B program “was supposed to be for projects and jobs that American workers could not fill,” one Edison worker told Computerworld, an IT news magazine. “But we’re doing our job. It’s not like they are bringing in these guys for new positions that nobody can fill. Not one of these jobs being filled by India was a job that an Edison employee wasn’t already performing.”

'Send them all back': Layoffs provoke H-1B visa blowback | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com

[jamescollister]

In OZ at the moment, what unions that are left, are fighting a new free trade deal with China.
Seems it allows Chinese's companies operating in OZ to use Chinese workers.
No need to prove a local labor or skill shortage, wonder how much prime farm land the Chinese now own, how many mines.

[Boon Mee]

Once the Trump/Cruz Administration is in place we'll see some real changes

[panama hat]

But, but, but these are the job creators, aren't they?

These jobs aren't given out in a vacuum, why aren't the employers being held accountable . . . these so-called vanguard of American steele and determination, darlings of the right

[Boon Mee]

But, but, but these are the job creators, aren't they?

These jobs aren't given out in a vacuum, why aren't the employers being held accountable . . . these so-called vanguard of American steele and determination, darlings of the right

When Washington comes to its senses, this outrage against American workers will hopefully come to a schreeching halt...