Imported Cheap Labor Displacing American Professionals

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 4:51 PM

H-1B and JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

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February 14, 2003

Imported Cheap Labor Displacing American Professionals
By Martin Gregor, Barkhamsted

There is a disturbing phenomenon that's infiltrating information
technology (I.T.) departments in corporations throughout Connecticut,
and indeed the entire nation. This is the replacement of American
computer and other professionals by foreign nationals because of cheap
labor.

The issue is not immigration. Legal immigration, with sensible limits,
should be applauded and embraced by us all. I'm not speaking of
"outsourcing," the transfer of jobs overseas to turn a better profit;
nor am I talking about protectionism or any adverse free trade
philosophies.

Observe very carefully what is occurring now in companies such as
Pfizer, General Electric, and the insurance industry in Hartford.
Foreign workers from countries like Pakistan and India are brought onto
U.S. soil for the sole purpose of displacing taxpaying American
citizens who earn higher (than Third World) salaries. These foreign
workers are not applying for citizenship; they are not better educated,
have no desire for assimilation into our culture, and pose potential
security risks. They are issued "L1" and "H-1B" (acronyms for
legislative bills) nonimmigrant business visas and can then stay in
this country indefinitely because the H-1B laws are poorly written and
not enforced.

Witnessing firsthand the spectacle of friends and associates, all of
whom are American citizens with homes and families, losing their
livelihoods to these foreign "L1" and "H-1B" visa holders ultimately
begs the question: "What's wrong with this picture?"

The citizenry of the United States is willing to make, and has made,
the ultimate sacrifice on battlefields throughout the world so that
U.S. citizens and corporations alike can operate within an environment
of unheard of peace and freedom. In return, we ask only that we be
afforded the rights in the U.S. Constitution that we fight for: life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Giving our jobs away to people
who are not from our country not only destroys our livelihood, but more
importantly, robs us of the essence of what we fight to defend.

H-1B's and L1's are herded into America by the tens of thousands
annually by corporations that have enjoyed the safest and richest
consumer market in history, but have rejected the fact they are
"American" and now define themselves as "global" entities. They cite
their global image and pretend there is a "shortage" of skilled workers
as justification for their actions, but in reality their real goal is
cheap labor at any cost.

Labor shortage? Nothing on earth could be further from the truth. Even
during the Y2K computer scare there were resources enough to get the
job done. With Y2K behind us, the recent dot.com crash, recession and
rising unemployment, the contention of a labor shortage is nothing more
than a hoax. For every I.T. job opening in Connecticut there are up to
100 resumes available within an hour. In places like California, it's
more like 400-500 resumes available within an hour's time. Starting
salaries for programmers in India are roughly $5,000 per year. Here in
the U.S., starting salaries are roughly $45,000. Americans are forced
to compete as if our hands are tied behind our backs.

In the Greater Hartford area, it seems like every other week we read
about layoffs at one of the insurance companies. Yet the numbers of
foreigners on H-1B and L1 visas are constantly burgeoning at those
institutions. Remarkably, I have also observed that, in certain
instances, before being terminated the American must train his H-1B
replacement about his job duties, or is otherwise threatened with loss
of severance pay and the shot at another opportunity that "may arise"
before his or her departure.

One can only envision an inherent problem on the political landscape
for organizations or individuals that consistently deal with large
segments of the public and do not put America's interests first. It's
not only unpatriotic, but unthinkable especially at a time of war that
organizations playing such a large part in our community would be
allowed to conduct business in this manner. Sadly, politicians hungry
for corporate campaign cash have obliged their corporate donors by
riddling the H-1B program with loopholes and extensions. The time for
sunset is long overdue on this distinctly un-American and grossly
abused legislation.

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