Jobless push for visa reform

Date: Sunday, August 17, 2003 4:34 PM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

www.ZaZona.com

As I have discussed previously, the Dodd/Johnson bill to reform H-1B
and L-1 visas should not be supported because it does more harm than
good. If they were serious about reform they would have sponsored
DeLauro's bill.

Jeff Lande from ITAA expressed his anxiety towards the DeLauro bill. He
lamented the fact that DeLauro's bill will prevent companies from
exploiting cheap foreign labor, but of course that's exactly why
American workers should support her bill and demand it's passage in
Congress. DeLauro's bill has enough teeth to prevent widespread
exploitation of L-1 visas to replace American citizens with cheap
foreign labor.

The Indian owned lobby organization NASSCOM stated earlier this year
that if the H-1B yearly cap falls they will replace those visas with
L-1s. The 35,000 a year cap that DeLauro wants on L-1 visas will derail
their neat strategy so look for further lobbying by their proxies in
the U.S. by the ITAA and the "lie-for-hire" PR firm of Hill & Knowlton.

Note: This article says that James Pace as the leader of TORAW. That is
no longer true because Pace resigned from TORAW last week.

short link:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?I37721095

http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legislation/story/0,10801,83888,00.html

Jobless push for visa reform

By Patrick Thibodeau
AUGUST 11, 2003

WASHINGTON -- The controversial L-1 and H-1B visas are under assault

in Congress, in large part because of the activism of a group of
laid-off Connecticut IT workers. Of the five bills that have been
introduced this year to reform the two visa programs, three were
written by Connecticut lawmakers.

"We've heard quite a bit from constituents in our district concerned
about losing their jobs," said Lesley Sillaman, a spokeswoman for Rep.
Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who is seeking restrictions on L-1 visa use.

The group DeLauro has been working with, the Organization for the
Rights of American Workers (TORAW) in Meriden, Conn., was formed less
than a year ago. One of the group's founders, James Pace, a laid-off IT
consultant, learned the ropes of activism in the early 1970s, when he
fought the state's motorcycle helmet law. "It all comes down to
backyard politics," said Pace.

Laid-off IT consultant James Pace is a leader in TORAWs fight for
L-1 and H-1B visa reform.
Among other activities, TORAW attended an open forum meeting that Rep.
Nancy Johnson held in her Connecticut district several months ago. Six
TORAW members in the audience peppered Johnson with questions about the
visa programs. "We took over the whole meeting," said Pace. Subsequent
local newspaper coverage focused on offshore outsourcing.

On July 28, Johnson, a Republican, joined Democratic Sen. Christopher
J. Dodd of Connecticut in sponsoring the USA Jobs Protection Act to
reform the visa laws.

In a hearing late last month on the L-1 visa, Dodd said that from 1997
to 2000, some 3.4 million H-1B and L-1 visas were approved, 70,000 in
Connecticut alone. Dodd said a growing body of anecdotal evidence
suggests abuse.

The L-1 allows companies to transfer foreign employees with specialized
skills into the U.S. But critics contend the program brings in foreign
replacements who will be trained to take over IT jobs held by U.S.
citizens.

The H-1B, a visa that lets firms bring skilled workers into the U.S.
for up to six years, is also a hot issue. But its cap will shrink from
195,000 to 65,000 in October; the L-1 has no cap, though DeLauro's bill
would impose a 35,000 limit.

One day after Dodd and Johnson introduced their bills, the Information
Technology Association of America released a memorandum suggesting L-1
program reforms, including the visa's requirement that employees have
some "specialized knowledge." The ITAA wants a more restrictive
definition of what specialized knowledge entails.

Legislative restrictions such as those imposed in DeLauro's bill would
hurt the ability of U.S. firms "to move people around globally," said
Jeff Lande, a vice president at the Arlington Va.-based ITAA.

Offshore work is a hot issue in other states as well, but Connecticut
is known for its high wages and a heavy concentration of financial
services firms, which are major offshore users.

Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist at consulting firm Scillia
Dowling and Natarelli LLC in New Haven, Conn., said Connecticut
employers face a cost of doing business that's 12% higher than the
national average. The state has shed 46,000 jobs since mid-2000, out of
an employment base of about 1.65 million. "Basically, we're flat-lining
in the state of Connecticut," he said.

Pace, who said TORAW co-founder John Bauman also deserves credit for
the group's success, realizes that the provisions in some of the bills
won't appease all critics. But the chief goal is to get legislators to
work together. Meanwhile, TORAW is recruiting members outside of
Connecticut. "I know we can do it in other states," said Pace.

Support this Newsletter and ZaZona.com by donating:
www.zazona.com/Donations.htm

To Subscribe or Unsubscribe send an email to

Rob Sanchez is board member of NAEA - www.NAEA.US

Back to archives