US workers' unions oppose offshoring as IT cos trim jobs

[OhioChick]

Source: Economic Times India

9 Feb 2009, 0012 hrs IST, Pankaj Mishra, ET Bureau

BANGALORE: As global tech firms such IBM, Microsoft and EDS-HP seek to trim payrolls by slashing jobs in the US and Europe to cope with a worsening economic slump, information technology workers and unions are taking a more militant stance on the sensitive issue of offshoring.

These unions or employee associations are aggressively questioning plans to send more work to cheaper locations such as India, and are pushing for more jobs in the US.

Microsoft, which announced first job cuts in its history, apart from IBM, is among those facing a backlash from technology worker unions and policymakers. Alliance IBM, a union of technology workers at the world's biggest software services company, has been running a campaign against the company's proposed 2,800 job cuts announced recently.

Washington Alliance of Technology Workers is also among many such organisations in the US running such a campaign. “The Alliance is strongly urging IBM not to go forward with a new round of job cuts and to stop the off-shoring of US workers’ jobs,”Lee Conrad, national coordinator of the Alliance, said in a statement. IBM employs over 70,000 professionals in India, and has plans to increasingly serve its global customers from the country.

Consulting group Challenger, Gray and Christmas said last month that electronics, computer and telecommunications companies in the US have cut their workforce by around 186,955 professionals in 2008, up almost 75% from 2007. The move comes at a time when joblessness is hitting record highs.



Read more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/US_workers_unions_oppose_offshoring/articleshow/4096354.cms

[PSPS]

1. Challenger, Gray and Christmas?

Consulting group Challenger, Gray and Christmas said last month that electronics, computer and telecommunications companies in the US have cut their workforce by around 186,955 professionals in 2008, up almost 75% from 2007.

Is their legal firm Dewey, Cheatam and Howe?

[liberalhistorian]

2. Challenger, Gray and Christmas is

a major bigshot employment and management consulting firm based NYC, with regional offices. They're almost always quoted in these kinds of articles, as well as those dealing with employment trends, etc. They're very conservative in their philosophy and outlook, very anti-employee.

[antigop]

3. So why in the hell isn't EVERY FRIKKIN' EMPLOYEE OF IBM a member of the Alliance?

Honestly, what are these employees thinking? They can sit there and wait until it's their turn to lose their job, or they can try to stop this nonsense by joining a union.

[OhioChick]

4. "So why in the hell isn't EVERY FRIKKIN' EMPLOYEE OF IBM a member of the Alliance?"

Good question.

[rpannier]

5. Because they see themselves as 'white collar' personel

and feel that unions are for blue-collar people.

They never seem to understand that when the axe falls, it lands on them as well.

[antigop]

6. Or maybe because they feel they are so damned "self-reliant" that somehow they will be OK. n/t