H-1B Increase Gains Momentum in Congress

Date: Thursday, November 18, 2004 12:34 PM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

by Rob Sanchez
November 18, 2004. No. 1135

The first article below never appeared in the newspaper. It was cut
because the editors didn't think the subject was of interest to
readers. I encourage all activists in the NYC-metro area to write
letters to the editor on the topic and please tell them that you are a
reader that wants to be informed on the H-1B issue.

email: am-letters@am-ny.com
http://www.am-ny.com

* Be sure to include your phone number and address with your letters.

OK, NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS......

Things aren't going our way in the House and Senate. All indications
are that both of them are set to approve the increase to H-1B. I don't
have info on the status of H-2B but you can bet it will follow the H-1B
steamroller. Kennedy's office told me that the H-1B increase cannot be
stopped, and they mentioned that Kennedy wants to insert an H-2B
increase.

What I'm hearing is not very encouraging. Probably the only thing that
could defeat the H-1B increase would be a groundswell of calls and
faxes. My previous newsletters instruct you on how to do this. I will
try to put them in the online archive today.

Tancredo is tha only politician I'm aware of to publicly come out
against the increase. His position paper follows Bennett's article.

Congress set to allow more foreign workers into U.S., groups say

BY CHUCK BENNETT

Thursday, November 18, 2004

amNewYork Staff Writer

Congress is going to raise the cap on skilled foreign workers allowed
into the country, congressional staffers and watchdog groups told
amNewYork.

Sens. Ted Kennedy (DMass.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) are negotiating
an increase in work visas, Annie Laurie Crane, a spokeswoman for
Chambliss told amNewYork. She said Chambliss wants to remove the cap on
workers holding advanced degrees. Instead of allowing the Senate to
vote directly on the
increases, it will be attached to a spending bill that needs to be
approved by next week.

Dawn Teo, of Rescue American Jobs, an advocacy group allied with the
United Steel Workers of America, blasted the move. "In the dark of
night Congress is giving away your job. They are betraying the American
worker and they think we cant hold anyone accountable for it."

With outsourcing and jobs such a sensitive issue, she said, Congress is
trying to avoid public scrutiny and worried that the increase is
already a done deal.

Large corporations can import skilled high-tech workers, such as
computer programmers, to the U.S.
using H1-B visas. Hotels and resorts bring in temporary help with H2-B
visas.

Businesses that bring in workers from India, Russia and other countries
say they are needed because there is a lack of skilled Americans.

http://www.teamamericapac.org/ta-ttpr-041117-quashattempt.shtml

Tancredo Moves to Quash Backdoor Attempt
to Relax Immigration Rules

Sweeping changes to immigration controls should not be made behind the
publics back, especially by a lame duck Congress...

From the Office of Congressman Tom Tancredo

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo (CO-06) today
penned a note of caution to House and Senate Appropriators against
including extraneous immigration provisions in an omnibus spending
bill. By including the changes in an end-of-year omnibus spending bill,
substantial revisions to federal immigration law would occur absent any
consideration by Congress.

"Reasonable people can disagree about the wisdom of these changes, but
what we should all agree on is that such sweeping changes to
immigration law should not be made though a deceiving procedural move
designed to avoid public scrutiny," said Tancredo, Chairman of the
Immigration Reform Caucus.

The proposed changes would dramatically increase the number of "H1-B"
foreign workers allowed to enter the U.S. each year. Aliens who obtain
advanced college degrees would not be counted against the current
numerical cap on H-1Bs, which currently limits the number of such
aliens at 65,000 per year. The changes would also change the way the
"prevailing wage" is calculated, allowing employers to pay foreign
workers in this category less.

"Why the appropriators would want to end-run Congress just to flood an
already competitive job market with cheap imported labor is beyond me,"
said Tancredo, "Particularly in the tech sector, where the unemployment
rate already exceeds the national unemployment average."

"We owe it to the American people to debate these proposals
thoroughly," concluded Tancredo, "Anything less would be a disservice."

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