Computerworld: Meet Bernie Sanders, H-1B Skeptic

[cascadiance]

Hillary Clinton's been getting a lot of press for being "all in" on immigration reform.

The immigration bill of last year had a big chunk of it put in that would have raised the quota on the H-1B Visa program.

Articles about her speech on immigration this week had Alex Seitz-Wald noting "The Democratic presidential candidate hit almost every issue on the immigration reform activist's wish-list." It would appear that one issue that wasn't spoken on was H-1B visas, that reform activists like me want to make sure is NOT in any "immigration" reform bill in the future. Hillary Clinton has in the past strongly supported this part of this bill, but appears to be avoiding mentioning where she stands on it.

Bernie Sanders doesn't seem to be avoiding this and is another reason that many Americans like me like how he supports workers globally that don't want these kind of indentured servant labor programs.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2916827/it-outsourcing/bernie-sanders-h-1b-skeptic.html

Meet Bernie Sanders, H-1B skeptic



Will the Vermont senator raise the visibility of the visa issue with his presidential run?

By Patrick Thibodeau
Computerworld | May 1, 2015 12:45 PM PT

The H-1B visa issue rarely surfaces during presidential races, and that's one thing that makes the entrance of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) into the 2016 presidential race 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 program as a national issue.

Sanders is skeptical of the H-1B program, and has lambasted tech companies for hiring visa holders at the same time they're cutting other staffers. He's especially critical of the visa's use by providers of IT services that are headquartered overseas.

"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."
...

[djean111]

1. And Hillary really loves H-1B visas - more! More! More!

[OhioChick]

9. "Clinton also backed increasing the number of H-1B visas issued by the United States."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/08/hillary-clinton-on-2016-im-thinking-about-it/

She certainly does.

[arcane1]

2. I'm with him on this.

There is also an over-reliance (in my opinion) on contract and temp work in those fields.

[cascadiance]

3. Yep, sure has been that way the last few years for us!

[appalachiablue]

4. K & R. Very critical issue that needs much more awareness obviously.

[canoeist52]

5. I'm with him on this too.

H-1B are a way to make less job slots for us and thus depress wages for desperate workers. We don't need this kind of competition.

[Salviati]

6. Immigration reform should come with a REDUCTION in H1B visas

If we really are "hurting" for these skilled workers, then we should offer them citizenship and and make them full fledged Americans. That is unless it's really just a scam to get cheap foreign laborers who are at the mercy of their employers.

[JDPriestly]

8. I agree with you. I am all for immigration reform. My neighbors in Los Angeles are, many of

them, immigrants. But I utterly oppose the H1-B visas and other temporary work visas that exclude a path to citizenship. Immigration should be legal and provide a path to citizenship if wished. There shouldn't be anyone who is indirectly told they can come an work but as soon as they aren't of use to us, they have to go to whatever they call home.

[cascadiance]

13. Bernie HAS spoken against H-2B Visas and we should also too! They've been abused even more!

Even though as a tech worker I'm more affected by H-1B Visas, I like seeing that Bernie has worked against H-2B Visa expansion in the past too as noted here.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/25/this-is-a-massive-effort-to-attract-cheap-labor-why-sen-bernie-sanders-is-skeptical-of-guest-workers/

Sen. Bernie Sanders: Thanks for calling. Let me just say this. I'm a strong supporter of immigration reform, and of the need to provide a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. I very strongly support the DREAM Act, and will continue to strongly support it. I very strongly believe, as someone who knows what's going on in the dairy industry in Vermont, that there's no question we need to create a status for immigrant workers in agriculture, and I think the committee is making good progress there.

My concerns are in regards to where we stand in terms of guest workers programs, made worse by amendments offered by Senator Hatch. What I do not support is, under the guise of immigrant reform, a process pushed by large corporations which results in more unemployment and lower wages for American workers.

...

The bottom line is that I feel, very much, that a lot of the initiative behind these guest workers programs, a very large expansion of guest worker programs — H2B visas would go up to as many as 195,000, H1B to as many as 205,000 a year — is coming from large corporations who want cheap labor from abroad. Absolutely, there is a need for foreign labor. I recognize that in agriculture and certain areas in the high tech industry, you need foreign labor. But this is a massive effort to attract cheap labor, a great disservice to American workers.

We shouldn't understate the problems with the H2B Visas as well. In many ways, workers have been exploited and abused even worse with this program. Note what happened when Bushco decided to ramp up using H2B visas instead of American workers to rebuild the devastation from Katrina. But read this article to see how much of a massive exercise in exploitation this effort was, that resulted in a number of court cases as a result.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Labor-trafficking-scheme-reaped-millions-4585015.php

In addition to screwing Americans who probably needed these jobs, it really screwed those that were brought in to work under this slave labor program. It is good at least that some of this abuse went to court.

And as noted in this report from the Bay Area, here is an example of an Indian worker being interviewed talking about how he's been exploited. This program doesn't just work against Americans, it works against workers worldwide and helps build the low "bottom" the rich 1% bastards want to exploit more through these programs and so-called "free trade" treaties like NAFTA and TPP.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Silicon-Valleys-Body-Shop-Secret-280567322.html

[liberal_at_heart]

10. Cheap labor is exactly what they want. I agree. We need a path to citizenship and less H1Bs.

We need to protect and increase wages, not lower them.

[Mnpaul]

19. Americans shouldn't have to compete unfairly for American jobs

Americans have to pay for their schooling. Many of the H1B folks have their schooling paid for by their government.

[Enthusiast]

7. I'm with Bernie! Bernie wants to preserve American jobs!

[gd770226]

11. Why I will vote for him

As an older IT worker, this is 100% why I will vote for him if given the change, and 100% why I would never never ever ever vote for Hillary Clinton.

[NYC_SKP]

12. Sanders nails it every time, every single time. The other candidate, almost never.

It's amazing that we aren't all behind this candidate.

[CrispyQ]

14. My family has seen two $50k jobs shipped to India.

While doing this, the companies both continued to hire upper level management. Directors, VPs & C-level officers? Why aren't those positions outsourced?

It's a big club & you ain't in it.

[Wilms]

15. k&r n/t

[SusanCalvin]

16. Bernie absolutely gets it.

BTW, my Kindle Fire has learned his name. First thing suggested for capital "B" is Bernie.

[MH1]

17. Score 1 for Bernie with me on this issue.

This is in my top 5 issues. I am tired of seeing good jobs going to H1Bs while taking opportunities from Americans, especially minority Americans.

[lumberjack_jeff]

18. Agree.

I hope he is as skeptical of efforts to import cheap blue collar labor.

[BrotherIvan]

20. I hope this gets around

It means a lot to the tech industries, special effects, etc. He's on the worker's side, unsurprisingly, but damned refreshing.

[antigop]

21. Thank you, Bernie! Here is an issue for you as you campaign. nt

[L0oniX]

22. K & R