Micron Misconduct
Micron Misconduct
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 4:33 PM
H-1B and JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
www.ZaZona.com
The first story below the commentary section of this newsletter is
nothing special - just another company firing Americans. At least
that's what our corporate owned media wants the public to believe. Here
is the story they don't want you to know, and to find out it's
necessary to use foreign newspapers.
Micron is the largest private employer in Idaho and Treasure Valley
around Boise is very dependent on Micron for employment. The 1,800
people that are losing their jobs will have nowhere to go and the
ripple effect on a state saddled with debt will be immense. These
workers were targets for elimination a long time ago but they went
about their lives blissfully unaware of their fate.
Micron's Worker Replacement Program
Micron has systematically replaced it's American employees with foreign
workers that came here on "nonimmigrant" visas such as H-1B and L-1
(will use H-1Bs for short). Companies such as Micron prefer these
foreign workers because they are indentured to their employer and they
are usually willing to work for less. The companies claim to the public
that they hire H-1Bs because they can't find qualified US workers. They
use these false shortage claims in order to justify their
discrimination against American citizens.
In many cases the companies will force their American workers train the
H-1Bs in the newest technology and skills. Once that occurs the company
can move their operations and newly trained H-1Bs overseas. The
American workers are replaced by the foreigners, ostensibly to cut
costs and improve efficiency.
By using the LCA Database at www.ZaZona.com/LCA-Data you can see that
Micron has been importing these foreign workers for a long time. Use
the search engine at http://www.h1b.info/lca_search.php to view more
recent LCA submissions - and there are plenty of them. LCA is short for
the Labor Condition Application that must be filed in order for
companies to hire H-1Bs. LCAs aren't required to file for L-1 visas.
LCAs must be posted in a public place within the company for viewing.
Micron's Oursourcing of Jobs
Micron is in the process of building a design center in India (see the
second article). Companies like Micron move to India and China because
the workers are paid far less. Even more important is that employers
don't have to deal with benefits and government regulations on work
safety and environment. In India the average programmer gets paid $300
a month and that's good pay compared to China and other Asian
countries.
By firing American workers and shifting the work overseas companies can
reduce labor costs. In many cases the H-1Bs that were trained in the
U.S. are transferred to the outsourcing facility. Ironically, the same
Americans that trained the H-1Bs are then told they don't have the
skills required for high-tech jobs - and now the same H-1Bs are
relocating to the new facilities in their home countries.
Companies always like good PR and Micron is no exception. In the third
article you will see that Micron announced worker reductions at it's
Singapore location but they declined to say how many. I'll bet a bag of
Idaho potatoes that they aren't eliminating anywhere near 1,800!
Micron's Activism on Behalf of Cheap Foreign Labor
Idaho politicians put out the welcome mat for the H-1Bs so that
companies like Micron could replace more expensive local workers. These
politicians voted for increasing the visa limits issued per year so
that more of them could flood into Idaho. They even voted against
amendments that might have protected some of the American workers. In
very cynical fashion these politicians still tell worried constituents
that H-1Bs can't replace American workers and they can't be underpaid.
Immigration lawyers like Joel Stewart know better:
http://www.ilw.com/lawyers/colum_article/col_joels/2000,0424.shtm
"When employers feel the need to legalize aliens,
it may be due to a shortage of suitable U.S.
workers, but even in a depressed economy,
Employers who favor aliens have an arsenal
of legal means to reject all U.S. workers who apply."
Micron has been quite active in lobbying for H-1B. They signed a
petition along with 417 other companies that demanded that Congress
raise the number of visas. You can see that document at:
http://www.ZaZona.com/ShameH1B/Library/Archives/ABLI.htm
Micron has also been very generous to the Republican party in Idaho.
Here is a brief rundown of their contributions taken from OpenSecrets
at http://www.opensecrets.org/
Micron Donations to Republican Party
1997-1998 $16,686
1999-2000 $46,000
Idaho's Politicians Follow the Money
With everything that has happened some people might wonder why Idaho's
politicians didn't step in to protect jobs in their own state. The
answer is simple, they considered campaign money more important.
The Idaho senators' voting record (records obtained by
http://www.betterimmigration.com/) show a very consistent pattern. They
receive money from big business and voted for cheap labor in return. It
just goes to show; you get what you pay for. Labor didn't pay much and
got the shaft in return.
Senator Crapo's Legacy of Betrayal
Donations to Michael D. Crapo (Member of Congress)
1993-98
Business $1,210,742
Labor $ 21,000
Donations to Michael D. Crapo (Senator)
2000
Business $885,006
Labor $ 21,000
2000: Voted for S.2045, a foreign worker bill with no worker
protections. Sen. Crapo voted for the Abraham foreign worker bill to
nearly triple the number of foreign high-tech workers. Despite a GAO
report finding no evidence of a worker shortage and suggesting fraud in
the H-1B program, Sen. Crapo voted for this bill that included no
worker protections or anti-fraud measures.
1998: Voted AGAINST amendment to H.R.3736 that would have reduced
worker importation. Sen. Crapo voted against an amendment to H.R.3736,
the Watt Substitute, that would have forbidden U.S. firms from using
temporary foreign workers to replace Americans, and would have required
U.S. firms to check a box on a form attesting that they had first
sought an American worker for the job. The amendment failed 177-242.
Crapo betrayed his constituency by allowing Micron to be able replace
American workers.
1998: H.R.3736, voted to almost double H-1B foreign high-tech workers.
Sen. Crapo helped the House pass H.R.3736. Enacted into law, it
increased by nearly 150,000 the number of foreign workers high-tech
American companies could hire over the next three years.
Senator Craig's Legacy of Betrayal
Donations to Sen. Larry E. Craig
1995-2000
Business $1,190,910
Labor $ 26,000
2000: Voted for S.2045, a foreign worker bill with no worker
protections. Sen. Craig voted for the Abraham foreign worker bill to
nearly triple the number of foreign high-tech workers. Despite a GAO
report finding no evidence of a worker shortage and suggesting fraud in
the H-1B program, Sen. Craig voted for this bill that included no
worker protections or anti-fraud measures.
1998: Voted against offering jobs to Americans first. Sen. Craig voted
against the Kennedy amendment(A-2417) to S.1723 that would have
required U.S. firms applying for H-1B visas to check a box on a form
attesting that they had first sought an American worker for the job.
The amendment failed 39-59.
1998: S.1723, Voted to allow American workers to be fired and replaced
with a foreign worker. Sen. Craig voted against the Kennedy Amendment
(A-2418) to S.1723 that would have protected American workers from
being fired and replaced by a foreign worker (H-1B visa holder). The
amendment was defeated 38-60.
1998: Voted for S.1723, nearly doubling hi-tech visas. Sen. Craig
helped the Senate pass S.1723 in a 78-20 vote. Enacted into law, it
increased by nearly 150,000 the number of foreign workers high-tech
American companies could hire over the next three years even though
U.S. firms were laying off thousands of workers at the time.
1990: Increased foreign worker importation. Sen. Craig voted to
increase the supply of foreign workers by rejecting an amendment to
H.R.4300 to cap family, worker and lottery immigration at 630,000. The
immigration cap was defeated 266 to 143. Since then, immigration has
increased to about one million a year, adding both skilled and
unskilled foreign workers to compete for American jobs.
Conclusion
It's obvious that Idaho's politicians colluded with Micron to replace
American workers with H-1Bs, but until recently it seemed that their
only motivation was to lower labor cost by using the cheap young blood
of indentured workers. Now it's seems that they are abandoning Idaho
for India and Singapore in order to maximize profits.
Shareholders are very happy with Micron and that's why CEO baron Steve
Appleton is so richly rewarded. He reaped a $ 2.7 million salary (not
including stock options) in the year 2000. He owns several fighter
planes for a hobby and lives lavishly, and yet it was reported that he
burst into tears when he found out that Micron was still losing
money.(http://www.theinquirer.org/?article=7460).
Hopefully Appleton will have a few tears left for those American
employees that have been sacrificed on the altar of cheap labor.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/APWires/tech/D7P9L7BG0.html
Micron to Lay Off About 1,800 Workers
Micron Technology Inc., the world's second largest computer memory chip
maker, announced on Tuesday that it is laying off 10 percent of its
worldwide labor force of over 18,000.
It is the first layoff the Boise-based company has imposed since 1985,
seven years after it was founded."We remain committed to the long-term
growth opportunities for our company and our industry," chairman Steve
Appleton said in a prepared statement. "These actions will lower our
cost structure, allow us to better focus our product portfolio, and
continue to invest in new technology."Appleton said the layoffs will be
proportional throughout the corporate system.
Micron has about 11,000 employees in Boise, making it the state's
largest private employer. The company also has facilities in Utah,
Virginia, Italy, Japan and Singapore.
Appleton said the company was also narrowing its product line.
Micron stock, which stood at nearly $100 a share in late July 2001,
closed down 3 cents at $7.17 a share on the New York Stock Exchange
Tuesday. In the last two years, the company has reported net losses of
over $1.5 billion and opened its latest fiscal year with another $315.9
million in red ink as the international chip market remained depressed.
The layoff announcement came just over two weeks after Micron sold $550
million in bonds to provide cash for technology spending.
A week before that, Appleton said the company misfired on a
new-generation computer chip that took longer than expected to recover
from.
The company filed a complaint last November, accusing its South Korean
competitors of receiving illegal government subsidies in 2001 and
blamed its $907 million loss last year partly on the alleged unfair
practices of Korea's Hynix Semiconductor and Samsung Electronics.
But four months earlier, Micron was named in antitrust class-action
lawsuit along with other chip producers for fixing the price for
dynamic random access memory chips. The company denied the charge. The
suit is pending.
Micron's attempts to buy the chip-producing operations of Hynix fell
through last spring. The deal would have catapulted Micron over Samsung
Electronics to make it the world's top chip producer.
Appleton stopped taking a salary 15 months ago and said he would not
resume taking a check until the company turns a profit.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=27331
Convergence
Micron Mulls Design Centre In India
OUR eFE BUREAU
Mumbai: Micron Semiconductor Products, a provider of advanced
semiconductor solutions, will have a direct presence in India from next
month. The India operations will be headquartered in Bangalore. Micron
technology director of international corporate affairs Phillip Martin
added that Micron is also evaluating the possibility of setting up a
design centre in India. In addition, the company has signed a
distribution agreement with Celetron to supply Micron products in
India.
Mr Martin said that the company is upbeat on the growth prospects in
India. The international revenues for the company grew substantially
last year and India revenues had posted a double digit growth. India
and China, he said were two emerging and important markets for the
company and both were being looked at very closely by the company.
Mr Martin said, We plan to evolve with the market, get to a certain
level in sales and support requirements and then possibly evaluate the
possibility of setting up a design centre in India. Currently the
company is also evaluating China as an option for setting up a design
centre.
Celetron India vice-president, sales and marketing, Vikram Chopra said
that in the next six months the company would focus on building
awareness around the Micron brand.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/32811/1/.html
US chip giant Micron Tech plans job cuts in Singapore
By :
Date : 19 February 2003 2021 hrs (SST)
URL :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/32811/
1/.html
US chip giant Micron Technology is set to lay off some of its 2,000
staff in Singapore.
The move is part of plans to retrench some 1,800 people - or about 10
percent of its global workforce to cut costs.
However the company would not say how many of its Singapore workers
will be affected.
A Micron spokesman said those losing their jobs will be notified over
the next seven days.
As part of its cost-cutting measures, Micron's plans to build a new
chip assembly and testing plant in Singapore will remain on hold due to
poor market conditions.
This news comes a week after rival chipmaker Chartered Semiconductor
announced it was shutting one Singapore plant and laying off 500
workers.
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