September 13, 98

Updated on September 18, 98

The Final Push Against H-1B Visa bill (H.R. 3736)

reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeThe time has come for a final hard hitting push against congressional efforts to increase the number of foreign workers through the H-1b program.  The House Republican leadership is planning to bring H.R. 3736 to the floor for a vote on September 24, 98.  H.R. 3736  would double the number of foreign workers imported each year.  The leadership may continue negotiations with the White House over the important American worker protections, but no agreement has been announced, so the veto threat is still possible.  (As you may recall, the Republican leadership has weakened the protections and the White House has issued a veto threat.)

The undecided Members are just now beginning to focus on this issue so calls, letters and those personal stories are more important than ever.  Also, the White House is still negotiating with Abraham and trying to decide whether it needs to push a compromise for Gore's future.  Keep up the pressure on the White House.

Your calls, letters, and e-mails are needed as never before.   Members of Congress have been swamped by calls, letters, faxes, and information of all kinds from the business community and the immigration lawyers.  The opposition has spent all their enormous resources on trying to come up with enough votes to pass this bill.  They are claiming that the bill is pro-business and creates American jobs.   You know that is not the case, now we must make sure Congress understands that this bill is anti-American working families and must be defeated.

Call, fax, or e-mail your member of the House of Representatives to oppose H.R. 3736 because:

• H.R. 3736 will hurt American families by giving away good American jobs to foreign labor.
• Claims of a high tech labor shortage are based on misleading information and have not been confirmed by any government study.
• H.R. 3736 would not prevent employers from laying-off American workers to  hire foreign workers.
• H.R. 3736 would not require employers to hire Americans before importing foreign labor.

H.R. 3736 should not pass.

Call the White House and urge them to oppose H. R. 3736 and any bill that increases foreign workers but does not protect American workers.  The protections contained in H.R. 3736 are weak, ineffective, and will not protect the American worker.  The President should veto ANY increase in the number of foreign workers. 

Contact  Gene Sperling, National Economic Council Director (Phone 202-456-2620 and Fax  202-456-2878) and Vice President Gore (Phone 202-456-7124 and Fax  202-456-7166).

Call or e-mail as many representatives in your home state as possible  To find out the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of Members of Congress, go to the following Internet address   http://www.visi.com/juan/congress .

Thank you for all your calls and letters - they will make a difference!!

Following is a list of mostly Democratic members of the House who need pressure to vote against the Abraham bill.  Some of them are already leaning against the bill, but need more support.  

Arkansas Marion Berry Vic Snyder California Barbara Lee George Miller Loretta Sanchez Colorado Diana Degette Connecticut Barbara Kennelly Florida Dan Miller Georgia Sanford Bishop Hawaii Patsy Mink

Iowa Leonard Boswell Indiana Tim Roemer Massachusetts Joe Kennedy Maryland Connie Morella Michigan Carolyn Kilpatrick Missouri Ike Skelton Pat Danner North Dakota Earl Pomeroy

New York Ben Gilman John McHugh Eliot Engel Jose Serrano John LaFalce Ohio Sherrod Brown Tom Sawyer Rhode Island Patrick Kennedy Texas Lloyd Doggett Wisconsin Ron Kind

August 21, 98

Message from Intel employee in Europe

Joachim Rissmann (General Manager Central Europe) is leaving the company (Intel) this week.  Intel is reviewing the organizations in Europe for streamlining and down sizing.  Intel Europe employees are very nervous about their jobs and their future at Intel.

Please do not publish my name and I'll report further developments.

August 5,98

Corporate boys are selling you out!

Word is that House Speaker Gingrich is planning to force a House vote on the H-1B bill (in the so-called "compromise" version, which is a sellout to the industry lobbyists) THIS THURSDAY.  He is planning to dare President Clinton to carry out his veto threat.  

Even though Clinton has made it clear that he will not sign the bill unless the workers protections are included, but in such a situation he may find the enormous pressure from industry difficult to ignore.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SAY "Vote No on HR 3736," AND

GET AS MANY OF YOUR LIKE-MINDED FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE TO DO THE SAME.

By the way, if you wish to use e-mail as your form of contact to Congress, the following Web page makes it easy

http://www.hoboes.com/html/Politics/electednet

July 31, 98

Legislative Update

New Immigration Reform Legislation Introduced in the 105th Congress          

H-1B Update:

Majority Leader Dick Armey pulled H.R. 3736 off today's House floor schedule.

The bill was not debated nor voted on but is scheduled for the floor next week.

Yesterday, after the details of the compromise were made public the White House again threatened to veto the bill.

The high-tech lobby has vowed to lobby and push hard for a vote next week.  We must counter their message. 

Call as many members of the House of Representatives that you can - your entire state delegation if possible.  Use (202) 224-3121 and tell your member of Congress to vote against H.R. 3736.  Vote for the American worker by Voting "No" on H.R. 3736. (See yesterday's update for talking points.)

Call the White House and demand a Presidential veto of the H-1B, foreign worker bill.  No More foreign workers.  A country should do its own work.

CALL Office of the Vice President, Phone  202-456-2326; Fax 202-456-6231 and David Beyer Clinton's Chief Domestic Policy Advisor  202-456-2878.

July 23, 98

ACTION ALERT 

H-1B, Foreign Worker Bill Update

The H-1B bill negotiations between Senator Abraham and Representative Lamar Smith are scheduled to resume Thursday afternoon (July 23rd). As reported last week, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be joining the negotiations.   Hill sources tell us that Lott is supporting Abraham.  Gingrich's position is unclear.

There is still time for your calls to make a difference.  Lott and Gingrich need to hear from you that the American people are opposed to an increase in the number of foreign workers.  At a minimum, they must keep the worker protections in the bill.  Tell them to support Lamar Smith!

Use FAIR's toll free hotline to the Hill 1-800-504-0031 to call Gingrich and Lott.

July 9, 98

H-1B visa bill is at a critical stage, we need to take action!

Our contacts in DC tell us that things are really hanging in the balance on the H-1B bill.  Our pressure so far seems to be having substantial positive effect, but more calls are needed. 

PLEASE FAX TO THE FOLLOWING KEY CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES AND THE WHITE HOUSE

• Immigration Subcommittee, Majority Office (Republican),                     fax (202)  225-3672   

• Immigration Subcommittee, Minority Office (Democratic),                   fax (202) 225-1845

• White House Comment Line, voice (202) 456-1111,                            fax (202) 456-2461

Again, the message is, "Keep the employer attestations/worker protections HR 3736!" 

Also, make sure you have contacted your own congressional representative.

AND ONCE AGAIN, MAKE SURE TO GET AS MANY OF YOUR LIKE-MINDED FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE TO CONTACT THE ABOVE (TWO IMMIGRATION COMMITTEE OFFICES, THE WHITE HOUSE AND THEIR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES).

---

The rumor on Capitol Hill is that big business is meeting this afternoon with Congressman Lamar Smith in an effort to make him cave-in to their demands for removing protections for American workers in the H-1B legislation.   If Congressman Smith retains the protections, it could very well kill the bill completely.

The time to act is now!  FAIR's 800 number to the Capitol Switchboard is back on-line.  So call 800-504-0031, through this number you can be connected to the office of your representative.  Urge your representative to vote against increasing H-1B visas.

Tell your Congressman:  Congressman Lamar Smith's office recently released data showing that 120,000 Americans have recently been laid off in the high tech industry.  Vote against H-1B increases!  Save those jobs for unemployed Americans and American students currently in college!

July 1, 1998

Call Governor Wilson to sign the bill

If you are a California resident, we urge you to call Governor Pete Wilson's office and urge him to sign SB 1098 (ban employer firing of older workers and replacing them with younger, cheaper ones).

Tell him age discrimination is rampant in the California computer industry (ask him to read the June 29 issue of Business Week for detail on age discrimination).

• Phone:  (916) 445-2841
• Fax:        (916) 445-4633
• E-mail:  (HTML form)  http//www.ca.gov/s/governor/petemail.html

 

Sacramento, California

Governor Pete Wilson has 12 days to act on a bill, which Bans Age Bias in Firing.

If Wilson signs this bill, it would bar firms from raising profits by replacing staff over 40 with younger, cheaper employees.

The state Senate, intervening in a controversial issue   involving longtime employees, gave final legislative approval Monday July 29, 1998 to a bill making it illegal for companies to improve their bottom line by replacing older workers with younger, lower-paid ones.

Wilson, has not yet decided whether to sign or veto the bill, which would allow the dismissal of older, higher-paid workers only in cases in which a firm can prove it acted out of economic necessity. 

The California Chamber of Commerce immediately called on Wilson to use his veto powers while the California Congress of Seniors urged the  governor to sign the legislation.

Wilson's deputy press secretary, Ron Low, said "We're going to withhold comment until he has time to sit down with his staff and review it."

The bill by Sen. Quentin Kopp (I-San Francisco) would invalidate a 1997 state Court of Appeal decision, which held that the dismissal of older workers is not illegal age discrimination if the motivation is economic.

Allan Zaremberg, president of the state Chamber of Commerce and a    close ally of Wilson, said he believes the bill would eliminate "an     employer's ability to use economic factors in managing their work force, even if the extra costs mean shutting your doors.", "This bill goes well beyond age discrimination," he added. "It says you cannot use economic factors in making management decisions if the employee is over the age of 40."

Bill Powers, lobbyist for the state Congress of Seniors, said he has "high hopes" that Wilson will sign the bill, despite opposition from employers.         Unless Wilson signs it, Powers said, "serious consequences bode for all the older workers, meaning all those over 40. If they cannot be protected, they are going to have a hell of a time in the future."

The 1997 appellate court ruling sent shock waves through the California workplace, especially among workers 40 and older who feared that employers would use it to streamline their businesses by cutting employee costs.

Over Republican objections, the Democratic-dominated state Senate    passed the bill (SB 1098) Monday on a 25-9 vote, four more than needed. Last month, the Assembly approved the measure by a narrow 42-27 vote, one more than the majority required.

Citing what may be a fading tradition of mutual loyalty between workers and their bosses, Kopp said it is unacceptable to "fire an employee with years of loyalty, who is over 40, simply to hire someone who is younger at a lower salary."  

June 30, 1998

Slap on Intel's face from Judge

Arrogant Intel filed a motion to compel in their case with the FTC.  They asked the Judge to compel FTC to state the markets in which Intel is a monopoly.  The Judge gave a fitting rebuff by telling Intel that they should respond to the FTC complaint as it is and no explanation is necessary.

Employees and shareholders:  Why is Intel wasting your money on such buffoonery?

May 22, 1998

Dear faxers,

REPORT A

We won a major victory Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee concerning expansion of H-1B visas for temporary skilled foreign workers!  Your thousands of faxes to the Members of the Judiciary Committee over the last month surely played a role in the major upset over massive industrial lobbying.

We won in the House almost precisely what we lost on Monday in the Senate.  Thanks to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the bill being "marked up" by the Judiciary Committee had major safeguards for American workers already in it. These are safeguards requiring corporations to recruit American workers before importing foreign workers through the H-1B program. The bill also forbade corporations from laying off American workers to make room for H-1B workers.

Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) had tried to insert those same safeguards on the Senate floor on Monday. But Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-MI) fought back the attempt and tabled Kennedy's amendment with 38 senators objecting.

Rep. Rogan (R-CA) on the House Judiciary Committee carried the water for Abraham and the industrial lobbyists. He offered an amendment to strip all safeguard for American workers from the bill.

The business lobbies were so heavyhanded early this week that insiders predicted a nearly even split, with most Republicans voting against safeguards.   But an impassioned plea from Lamar Smith and surprise backing by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) -- chair of the Judiciary Committee -- led the way for a 24-7 vote against Rogan's amendment to strip the safeguards!  Nearly all Democrats and even the majority of Republicans voted against the industrial lobbyists!  Except for your thousands of faxes these last few weeks, those Members would not have felt much sign of opposition to the lobbyists. Thanks.

ACTION A

Please consider e-mailing a note of thanks to Rep. Hyde for his support of American workers and of Lamar Smith.  Simply go onto www.numbersusa.com and click on the MOVING CONGRESS button.  On the page that comes up, click on the CONGRESS LOCATOR  button.  That takes you to a map. Click on Illinois and it will bring up the e-mail link for Rep. Hyde.

I am not putting on a fax to him because I don't want to inundate a friend with form faxes. But your individualized e-mail notes will be helpful.

 

REPORT B

The Judiciary Committee added an amendment that made the bill even better.  The original language had -- like the Senate's bill -- allowed H-1B workers to come to the U.S. for 6 years. The amendment reduced that to 4 years. Since this is supposedly only a temporary shortage of computer programmers, we should have plenty of new programmers coming out of school by 4 years.

 

REPORT C

Part of our push here at NumbersUSA was to hand deliver hundreds of faxes that were not able to go through to the Judiciary Members offices.  Around 10 of the 31 Members blocked our faxes in one way or another.  When that happens, we usually get access to another fax number fairly soon and resume the faxing. All faxes that don't get through are kicked back to our office and printed on a very good printer. We then address envelopes and mail every single one of those faxes into the offices.  On Monday and Tuesday of this week -- because there was not time to mail the printed out faxes -- we brought in some teenagers who addressed several hundred faxes Tuesday afternoon and hand-delivered all of them to congressional offices Tuesday evening.

 

ACTION B

Please go to the Fax Center and note if you have sent the H-1B fax to Representatives from your own state.  If not, please send the fax.  The whole House will be voting on the H-1B bill probably early June.  It is very important that every member have heard from as many state constituents as possible before they vote. The rumor is that Sen. Abraham is working forcefully to persuade House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) to try to remove the safeguards from the House bill.

 

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE EFFORTS OF ALL OF YOU.

I'LL BE MAILING YOU AGAIN SOON BEFORE THE HOUSE VOTE AND THE WORK OF THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE WHICH WILL IRON OUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SMITH'S AND ABRAHAM'S BILLS.

May 20, 1998

Intel's banner is up at DEC's Hudson Plant

As of 5-18-98, DEC's Hudson Plant has been taken over by Intel and is now called FAB17.

As per our survey, employees at this plant enjoyed a satisfactory and happy employment under DEC's management.  The responses stated that the employees felt they were treated with decency.

Under Intel's reign, the very first thing that the Hudson Plant employees will experience is a rude culture shock.  Intel will immediately start indoctinating the employees with their rough, tough and cut-throat culture, the details of which are explained throughout this website.

The Hudson Plant employees need to be aware of Intel's recent redeployment trends and layoffs. Our inside sources tell us that employees with high salaries (over age 40) need to be especially cautious as they could be targeted.

To protect your employment and prevent Intel from ruining your lives, we urge all the ex-DEC employees to follow the instructions in the page dedicated to  Hudson Plant Employees .

May 18, 1998

American Science Association Petitions Lawmakers

From Gene Nelson gnelson@cyberramp.net

Dear Friends,

The American Scientist's Association now has an on-line petition protesting the proposed increase in H1-B temporary visas for high-tech workers. The petition is attached below.

If you would like to sign it,  you can reach the signature page through the URL:  http://www2.ultra.net/~asa/H1B_pet.htm

Please forward the petition URL to your mailing lists and newsgroups.  Thank You for your help.

====================================================================

A Petition Protesting the Proposed Increase in H1-B Temporary Worker Visas.

Note Shortly before the legislation comes before Congress, the American Scientists Association will send a copy of the petition and signatures to the  Senate and House of Representatives.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Legislation is currently before Congress which proposes to raise the annual ceiling of  65,000  H1-B visas by  an additional 25,000 to 65,000 visas. We, the undersigned, are strongly opposed to any legislation which increases the number of H1 visas for temporary, high technology guest workers. This legislation represents an intervention in the domestic  labor market on behalf of employers and against the interests of employees. If passed, it is expected to result in a massive transfer of wealth from the families of middle-class engineers and scientists to the owners of the high-tech corporations who lobbied  for the legislation.

Industry lobbyists, led by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), have conducted a skillful and misleading campaign to convince the public and government that the U.S. is facing a critical shortage of computer workers which threatens our ability to compete.  An ITAA report claimed that the United States now has a shortage of 346,000 information technology (IT) workers.   Under ITAA guidance, the Department of Commerce issued a similar study.  These studies were used to convince lawmakers that if we failed to import hundreds of thousands of high-tech workers, we would lose business and jobs to our international competitors. The motivation for the lobbying  is that temporary guest workers are significantly less expensive than domestic workers.

In reality, there is no shortage of engineers and scientists.  Indeed, a shortage should lead to an increase in wages and a decrease in unemployment. Over the past decade, wage growth for engineers has lagged behind many other professions. There is a reported 17% unemployment rate for programmers over age 50. The type of long-term labor shortage claimed by the ITAA cannot exist in a market economy a tight labor market in any profession results in rising wages, which in turn stimulates more people to train for and enter that profession, thereby increasing supply to meet the increased demand.  This is how market economies work and why there has never been a labor shortage of scientists, engineers or IT workers of the kind currently alleged by high-tech employers. If the U.S. responds to the purported shortage by increasing the cap on H1-B visas, the result will be depressed wages and increased unemployment in IT and related  professions. This will discourage Americans from entering the field, and in the long run, hurt our economy.

Government agencies have been extremely critical of the shortage claims.  After reviewing a September 1997 Commerce Department report on the shortage of IT workers, the General Accounting Office, the government's oversight agency, concluded that the study "has serious analytical and methodological weaknesses that undermine the credibility of its conclusion that a shortage of IT workers exists." In 1996, a Department of Labor (DOL) study found widespread abuses in the H1 visa program.   The 'Labor Condition Application' on an H1 visa application, which is supposed to insure that Americans are not being adversely affected,  was described in a 1996 DOL   Inspector General report as "perfunctory at best and a sham at worst."   In some cases, U.S. workers had to train their H1-B replacements.

The ITAA would have us believe that rising wages threaten our ability to compete in world markets, ultimately threatening our prosperity. They have it backwards. When market forces drive up wages, the result is an improved standard of living for American workers, in the form of higher median per capita incomes.  Tight labor markets have other benefits. As David North, a noted labor market analyst, once wrote; "A tight labor market, when unemployment is low, may be awkward for some employers, but it does wonders for workers, particularly disadvantaged ones.  In a tight labor market, as in World War II, women got good blue collar jobs in factories; in tight labor markets the old and the young are courted, racial prejudices forgotten, and employers make efforts to improve wages and working conditions.  We should be extremely hesitant about using immigrant visas to loosen labor markets.  As we all learned in college economics, when a supply increases, its value decreases."

The annual ceiling on H1-B visas is already too high.

VOTE NO ON THE H1-B CAP INCREASE BECAUSE

A) INCREASING THE CAP IS BAD FOR AMERICAN WORKERS

B) INCREASING THE CAP IS BAD ECONOMICS

 

May 13, 1998

Modification/elimination of the overtime pay

Message from a current Intel employee:

(I wish not to be I.D'ed)

Are you aware that Intel, due to a California law change is currently considering a modification and may be elimination of the overtime pay to their employees who are working compressed work week (CWW)?

A task force has been set up to take care of this matter.  Employees should know the decision of the overtime task force by the end of Q2 or Q3.

Most CWW employees who are non exempt salary will walk out if this happens. The general attitude is not good within Intel as you might guess.  I for myself am glad to see this stuff exposed over the Internet so all can see and read for theirselves.  I am over 40, 14years with Intel and have never been close to a layoff like this.

I am on whats called the transition team.  A redeployment tactic that Intel is using to get people out, just as you (FACE Intel) say about targeting for termination or forcing employees to leave, you are so right.

I am leaning towards quitting.  But as you say thats what they want and I won't give it up.  Not till I get that big carrot of severance they should owe me.  Anyway thanks for letting me vent.

May 11, 1998

Pleass Call Senate NOW

A critical vote in the Senate is being scheduled for early next week.  S. 1723, The "American Competitiveness Act," sponsored by Senator Spencer Abraham, is on track to increase the number of skilled foreign workers admitted to the United States to over 100,000 per year.  

This bill must be stopped dead in its tracks, and the time to act is now.  Call both of your Senators and urge them to vote NO on S.1723.

They need to know that raising the level of foreign workers is detrimental to American workers and American families.   Voting NO on S.1723 is the right thing to do because:  

1.      There's no REAL shortage of skilled workers.  The Department of Labor reports that a  labor shortage is unproven, and that the H1B program is already widely abused. 

2.      It protects job opportunities for older workers.  High tech foreign workers earn 15%- 30% less than Americans.  This is an incentive for employers to replace older American workers with younger foreigners. 

3.      We are educating Americans already for these jobs.  In 1996, there was a 46% increase in the number of undergraduates enrolled in computer science and engineering programs.  The job market, not immigration, will fix any alleged shortage.  

4.      Emphasis should be placed on training American workers, not importing foreign workers.  Tens of thousands of mid-career engineers, many laid-off as a result of defense cut backs, are available and can be retrained.

Call 800-504-0031 now and ask to speak to your Senators.  Urge them to Vote NO on S.1723! Let them know America is watching! 

May 5, 1998

Judiciary Committee Votes on H-1B Visa

The vote in the Judiciary Committee on the H-1B will take place during the week of May 11.  It is very important to contact ALL members of the committee, especially the Republicans.  You should let the committee members know your thoughts on the following two questions

1.  Should the H-1B work visa quota be raised?

2.  Should worker protections be legislated, such as the two "attestations" currently being proposed (the employer applying to hire an H-1B visa worker would have to "attest" that he has not laid off workers recently and that he has made a good faith effort to find workers who are citizens or permanent residents before turning to the H-1B pool).

If you are concerned about abuse of the H-1B program, you would say NO to the first question and YES to the second.

Remember, you can use the toll-free number ( 800-504-0031 ) to reach any telephone on Capitol Hill.  Just tell the receptionist, for example, "Rep. Gekas' office, please," or give a specific number ("225-4315, please").  (The latter works for faxes too.)

Judiciary Committee Republicans are:

Henry Hyde, Jim Sensenbrenner, Bill McCollum, George Gekas, Howard Coble, Elton Gallegly, Charles Canady, Bob Inglis, Bob Goodlatte, Stephen Buyer, Ed Bryant, Steve Chabot, Bob Barr, Bill Jenkins, Asa Hutchinson, Ed Pease, Chris Cannon, Jim Rogan and Lindsey Graham. 

Committee Democrats are:

John Conyers, Barney Frank, Charles Schumer, Howard Berman, RIck Boucher, Jerrold Nadler, Robert Scott, Melvin Watt, Zoe Lofgren, Sheila Jackson Lee, Maxine Waters, Martin Meehan, William Delahunt, Robert Wexler and Steve Rothman.

May 1, 1998

True Face of Intel

"With one hand, Representative Smith's workforce bill offers employers help with the skilled worker shortage, but he quickly takes it back with the other hand by introducing BURDENSOME REGULATIONS," said Jenifer Eisen, human resources manager for Intel.  (5-1-98, New York Times, by: jeri Clausing)

What Ms. Eisen of Intel is referring to is a House measure introduced Wednesday (4-29-98) by Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican.  Smith's bill include the following provisions, Ms. Eisen (Intel) finds it very BURDENSOME :

a).  Employers could not hire H-1Bs if they have recently laid people off. 

b).  Employers would be required to show that they had tried to recruit American workers for these positions.  

We (FACE Intel) think what actually Ms. Eisen (Intel) means is that to expect Intel to be: Honest, genuine, real, sincere, true, unfeigned is BURDENSOME.  What also Ms. Eisen (Intel) means is that we have the gold and we write the rules, everybody else have to shut up.

Is it safe to conclude that Intel who is laying off 3,000 employees (this is what Intel says, we'll publish the actual numbers at the end) is shamelessly saying that we want to get rid of our American employees and we want to replace them with cheap foreign workers.  In the other words, Intel is saying that since we are the ALMIGHTY, leave us alone, there must not be any law, rule, and regulation to question THE Intel.  How anyone dares to expect or ask Intel to be honest.

Intel's main opposition to Smith's legislation stems from a provision that would require employers to attest that they are not displacing Americans with foreign labor.  Intel and other business interests complain that the attestation and requirement that they make good-faith efforts to recruit Americans first, are too onerous and would harm their efforts to fill vacancies.

What an arrogant expectation (The little by is not getting his way, so he is crying and kicking the dirt) and disgraceful lie.   Intel is laying off 3,000 of their employees for god's sake, Intel does not have any vacancies!.  What actually Intel is doing is, creating vacancies, to fill with CHEAP FOREIGN LABOR and wants everyone out of their the way.

After the bill was approved (Thanks to all of you who made the effort to respond to our 4-29-98 announcement!) by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Mr. Smith said "Amazingly, this is not currently a violation of the (visa) program,".

Intel and other business interests have lined up in support of a bill by Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., which has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Smith's bill would add 30,000 more visas this year to the present cap of 65,000, with the ceiling rising to 105,000 next year and 115,000 in 2000 before reverting to the current level.  Abraham's bill would boost the annual ceiling to 115,000 visas for the next five years and does not have provisions like (a) and (b) of Smith's bill.

The White House prefers the Smith's bill over the Senate proposal.  But the White House wants Smith to add one provision from Abraham's bill, which requires money from businesses to improve education and training for Americans so they can take jobs in the booming high-tech sector. 

April 29, 1998

Lamar Smith has come out with his bill.

As expected, it does include an increase in the H-1B quota.  However, it also includes two labor-oriented provisions which are worthwhile. 

a).  Employers could not hire H-1Bs if they have recently laid people off.  This provision will stop a company like Intel to shamelessly layoff Americans while they are hiring foreigners to substitute them with.

b).  Employers would be required to show that they had tried to recruit American workers for these positions.   (Recall that current law does NOT have a provision like (b).)

Today (4-29-98), an amendment will be proposed to kill (a) and (b).

PLEASE CALL THE FOLLOWING REPRESENTATIVES' OFFICES AND TELL THEM NOT TO SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT

TELL THEM TO SUPPORT (a) AND (b).  (Be very clear.)  The representatives are Berman, Gallegly, Lofgren, Rogan, and Wechsler (Wexler?).  It does not matter whether you live in their districts, though if you live in California (they are all from CA) it is extra important for you to call. 

Remember, you can call toll-free, at 800-504-0031.  Just tell the operator who answers which office you want, e.g. "Representative Rogan's office, please.".

The Clinton administration supports (a) and (b), so it has a chance. Please call, so that these two provisions are not killed today.

April 19,1998

http://www.examiner.com/workers

The San Francisco Examiner has set up an excellent Web site related to its coverage of age discrimination by IT employers and the dispute over the labor "shortage,".  It includes the article it ran a week ago and also the article on IT job fairs and etc. 

What is especially nice is that they have a complete collection of the e-mail messages people sent them in response to last Sunday's article.   Most of them counter the industry's claim of a shortage.  Even one of the employers who writes a sympathetic letter and admits older workers are having troubles.

April 7, 1998

Fight the Senate Bill to Increase H-1B Visas

American Engineering Association, which has been fighting for reform of the H-1B visa program for a number of years wants us to support them:

FAIR is the Federation for American Immigration Reform.   This organization is quite active and well-respected in Congress.  FAIR has a toll free line to Congress.  This number is 1-800-504-0031.   You may use this number to fight S-1723 the Senate Bill to increase H-1B visas.  This number works to reach any and all members of Congress.  Sandra Shipshock of Sen. Kennedy's office may also be reached through this number.  Just ask for Sen. Kennedy's office and then ask for Sandra.  When calling please let your representative know that AEA is on the WEB at www.aea.org.

March 31, 1998

"Intel treats engineers like cattle," a former contractor says.

Face INTEL:

I am tiring of the media hoopla that there is a massive engineering shortage. Arizona's governor, Jane Hull, has practically declared a state of emergency here because Motorola and INTEL say they can't find enough high tech employees to hire in this state. Let me tell you why I believe that the news media has been deceived by these and other large companies.

My first job after graduating with a BSEE was at Motorola's Government Group in Scottsdale. I was downsized in 1989. During my exit interview a human resource guy told me that I was not targeted because I had almost 9 years there and was about to receive expanded benefits. He said that an unnamed manager claimed my performance was not up to expectations. I was sent to an out-placement service to learn job hunting skills. I'm sure that it was only a coincidence that none of the engineers terminated were younger than 30. While we were being pushed out a record number of college graduates were hired into Motorola's 6 month training program. If skills were the only issue why didn't they offer to train us? Basically Motorola chose to get rid of employees that had between 4-9 years seniority.

After almost losing my house I found another job. I took a 10% salary cut from my Motorola job.  I was only months from becoming fully vested when they fired me. After almost 5 years they said that they were letting me go because of you guessed it - my performance. It took me 17 months to find another software engineering   job for $28k per year. This was 33% less than I made at Motorola 7 years earlier. So much for Arizona's great job market and expanding salaries. So what if living expenses are less than Silicon Valley?

I've had numerous bouts of unemployment. It's very difficult to get job interviews in the Phoenix area. Most of my interviews seemed to always be with young engineers who were not a day older than 30. Would you be surprised that not one of those companies ever called me back with a job offer? They usually said that they found somebody better qualified - in other words younger and cheaper.

By 1994 my difficulty finding engineering jobs contradicted everything I read in the local newspaper about how companies were begging for anybody with engineering skills. A brief look at our local newspaper classifieds in the Arizona Republic would seem to verify that there are many job openings in engineering. Upon closer examination you would find that almost all of the ads are nothing but contract agencies hunting for resumes.  I have been registered with dozens of them and they rarely are able to get me an interview, much less a job. Very few companies have an ad for engineers unless they are trying to get approval for a foreign worker visa to import somebody. You will recognize these ads because they are very  long and list more requirements than any one person could have. They have no intention of hiring a local such as me. I attended support group meetings for unemployed engineers. They were all my age or older and all of them were having similar problems. We constantly have to  endure the questions and ridicule from spouses and friends that hear the optimistic spin coming from the mainline press.

Several years ago I received two letters from the Department of Economic Security that said they were investigating two companies I sent resumes to. INTEL and VLSI claimed that there was nobody in the U.S., including me, that has the proper skills for the job. Therefore they needed H1-B visas to hire foreign engineers. I filled out the DES forms and verified that I have most of skills advertised and would work for the advertised salary - which was much better than my previous job. Of course I never heard from INTEL or VLSI  because DES rubber stamped the approval. This procedure is a sham that DES and INTEL conspire to in order to convince the American public that hiring foreign engineers is justified. High tech companies prefer to hire these indentured slaves (H1-B) because it's better for the bottom line. INTEL probably got this idea from watching grape pickers toiling in California .

Recently I was hired by INTEL in Chandler as a contractor. The first thing I noticed when I got there is how young everybody was. Engineers my age are rarely hired by INTEL unless we agree to be contractors (temporaries). They sure are on a hiring binge for college graduates though.  I saw at least a new one every week.

Without notice I was called at home and told that my contract with INTEL was terminated.  INTEL refused to give me a reason. I wasn't even allowed to go to my desk to get my personal belongings. My manager put my personal belongings in a box and left it at security. They kept two software reference books that I bought at my own expense because my boss assured me that I would be reimbursed. They kept stalling on the reimbursement while I was there. My contract company eventually reimbursed me out of their own funds because INTEL wouldn't. INTEL, Chandler is a bunch of petty, lying, cheapskates!!! INTEL treats engineers like cattle. Their new space compression program for people is supposed to foster worker cohesion. Everybody gets to be in a compartment barely big enough to sit in. They probably didn't renew my contract out of compassion. At the age of 41 they figured I wasn't flexible enough to get in and out of those cubicles safely.

I'm now contracting at a Mesa company that is expected to grow because unions are so weak in this state. They're going to move their labor to Arizona to save money and bust the unions that work at their other plants. Relocating to Arizona is very popular with CEO's because we are a right to work state. This means employers have the right to decide whether you can work based on age, race, or the phase of the moon.

40 something and sun-burned  

Face INTEL - I don't want to use my name for obvious reasons. The last thing I need is to get blackballed. I would prefer if you have questions to call me at home. If you need verification of those DES letters I could fax them to you.

March 27, 1998

WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Rep. Mel Watt is the ranking Democrat on the House Immigration Subcommittee.  We have been told by a reliable source that he is extremely open-minded and independent.  Our source says that he does not have the facts on this issue of claims of a software labor "shortage," but our source feels that he may well react very favorably if he hears what is really going on.

Please give his office a call.  Ask to speak to a staffer who is handling the H-1B visa bill.  Explain why there is no shortage, and that American programmers are being shunned by the industry.  Give your own personal examples and the Intel's example:

• Presently Intel is implementing a redeployment plan that over 2,000 employees will be affected it.
• Intel has a hiring freeze at this time.
• Intel is most aggressively hiring from colleges (RCG - Recent College Graduate).
• At the same time, Intel is strongly claiming that they have shortage of programmers and engineers.

This means that Intel is replacing the older employees with RCG's that are cheaper.  Also they want to utilize foreign workers that are even cheaper than America RCG's. 

Cite the US News and World Report article, and ask the person you talk to his/her e-mail address so you can e-mail it to them.  If you don't have the article, it's on Professor Matloff's web site: http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/itaa.html

Representative Melvin Watt (D 12 NC)

(202) 225-1510    /   FAX (202) 225-1512

memmail@hr.house.gov

nc12.public@mail.house.gov (the following website, suggest using this email)

http//www.house.gov/watt/

Rep. Watt is in a key position, so our efforts here could pay off.