Sens. Grassley, Durbin launch new H-1B fight

[OhioChick]

Nov 10, 2015 5:57 PM PT

wo of the Senate's leading H-1B reformers, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), say abuse of the H-1B visa "is real" and the need for reform urgent. On Tuesday they introduced a new reform bill they say will protect U.S. workers.

These senators have made repeated efforts since 2007 to try to reform the H-1B program. This time, they're getting help from co-sponsors Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), where Disney replaced U.S. workers, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Both Brown and Blumenthal signed a letter earlier this year requesting a federal review of use of H-1B workers at Southern California Edison.

"The H-1B visa program was never meant to replace qualified American workers, but it was instead intended as a means to fill gaps in highly specialized areas of employment that cannot be filled by Americans," said Grassley, in a statement.

Grassley said the "abuse of the system is real, and media reports are validating what we have argued against for years, including the fact that Americans are training their replacements," he said.

More: http://www.computerworld.com/article/3003877/it-careers/sens-grassley-durbin-launch-new-h-1b-fight.html

[Babel_17]

1. It is a fight and I applaud their efforts

Kick and Recommend.

[msongs]

2. cancel the h1B program. problem solved nt

[jeff47]

3. H1B visas do not need reform. They need to be ended.

If we really can't find someone in the US for a highly specialized position, then we do not need that person for only 6 years. We need them forever.

H1B visas only exist to depress wages.

[BdAzzSRT]

4. H1B visas need to end.

I see the abuse of this on a daily basis in my position and despite repeated attempts to communicate the abuse to my Congressman and Senator I get no response.

K&R

[denverbill]

5. I emailed my Congresscritters about this after seeing this.

I know from personal experience, as my job is ending in December thanks to Accenture and their completely untrained developers.

I'm one of the last of hundreds let go by my company.

Unfortunately, the DLC and New Democrats loves them some outsourcing. I'm sure this bill will go nowhere.

[erronis]

9. Can't wait for a positive income when Pres. Clinton II takes the helm.

[OhioChick]

10. Don't hold your breath

Here's where Clinton and Rubio stand on the H-1B visa issue

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2909983/it-outsourcing/heres-where-clinton-and-rubio-stand-on-the-h-1b-visa-issue.html

From 2014:

"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/

[beerandjesus]

6. How lame is it that we have to look to an ass like Grassley for leadership on this?

Where's that fighter Hillary?


Oh yeah, that's right........

[AzDar]

8. Wasn't she quite cozy with one of the largest outsourcing firms? Tata, maybe?

...forgetful in my old age...

[beerandjesus]

11. I think you're right. And of all the consulting firms I've had dealings with, TCS was the sleaziest.

Never worked with them on a project, thank God, but man, slimiest salespeople ever, offering transparently bullshit "partnership deals"..... unbelievable.

Still could never bring myself to call them "Tata" either... "TCS" felt somehow cleaner!

[AzDar]

7. K & R

[antigop]

12. Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program, Costing the U.S. Jobs

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/11/us/large-companies-game-h-1b-visa-program-leaving-smaller-ones-in-the-cold.html

Théo Négri, a young software engineer from France, had come up with so many novel ideas at his job at an Internet start-up in San Francisco that the American entrepreneur who hired him wanted to keep him on.

So he helped Mr. Négri apply for a three-year work visa for foreign professionals with college degrees and specialized skills, mainly in technology and science. With his master’s degree from a French university and advanced computer abilities, Mr. Négri seemed to fill the bill.

But his application for the H-1B visa was denied, and he had to leave the United States. Back in France, Mr. Négri used his data skills to figure out why.

The answer was simple: Many of the visas are given out through a lottery, and a small number of giant global outsourcing companies had flooded the system with applications, significantly increasing their chances of success. While he had one application in last year’s lottery and lost, one of the outsourcing companies applied for at least 14,000. The companies were squeezing out American employers like his boss.

[antigop]

13. How the H-1B Visa System Can Hurt American Workers

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/06/us/11visa-listy.html

Congress set up the H-1B visa program to help American companies hire foreigners with specialized skills, mainly in science and technology, for positions for which American workers with those abilities cannot be found. The goal was to help the economy expand and, ultimately, create more jobs for Americans.

But in recent years, many H-1B visas have gone to temporary immigrants who lacked special skills and displaced American workers from jobs.

Only 85,000 of these visas are granted each year, and competition for them is intense.

In some cases, H-1B visas are being used to bring in immigrants to do the jobs that American workers are doing. That’s what happened at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

[area51]

14. Kick for the night crew, n/t