Senators seek probe of claims US workers fired, forced to train foreign replacements

Fox News ^ | April 10, 2015 | (Judson Berger/AP)

[Olog-hai]

A popular visa program allegedly is being misused by U.S. companies to lay off thousands of American workers and replace them with foreign labor.

And, adding insult to injury, many of the laid-off workers allegedly have been forced to train their replacements, in what one anonymous whistleblower called a “humiliating” experience.

The allegations have caught the attention of a bipartisan group of senators -- including immigration hawk Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and the No. 2 Senate Democrat, Illinois’ Dick Durbin -- who are calling for a federal probe. A letter sent by 10 senators urging an investigation specifically cited reports of the firing and hiring practices at Southern California Edison, California's second-largest utility. The incidents are concentrated in the IT field, and involve American workers being replaced by H-1B visa holders.

“A number of U.S. employers, including some large, well-known, publicly-traded corporations, have reportedly laid off thousands of American workers and replaced them with H-1B visa holders,” the senators wrote. …

[central_va]

Maybe they were coerced into doing it, with the promise of a couple more paychecks and a good letter letter of recommendation, but if they were FORCED, then the nation is even further gone than I thought it was.

If you don't cooperate you do not get your severance..

[redfreedom]

I would define coercing as synonymous with forcing.

Those last two or three paychecks give the poor souls a chance to do some positioning in their lives before they get the axe, such as job searches, sell the home, restructure debt, whatever else it takes to find a new job or lessen the burden of long term unemployment.

I know the feeling of being laid off. It’s not a good one.

[tbw2]

The company may predicate severance on assistance training your replacement, or the difference between laid off and fired for cause, because you didn’t train the replacement and meet job requirements, you are fired and thus not eligible for unemployment.

[goodnesswins]

Happened to someone we knew who worked for Microsoft...about 10 years ago

[HiJinx]

Ping!

Click the keyword Aliens to see more illegal alien, border security, and other related threads.

[Regulator]

Extortion is a crime.

Fraud is a crime too.

Both are being perpetrated here.

[GOPJ]

Thanks HiJinx - this is an important issue... maybe that little traitor Jeb Bush can weight in on the subject.

Or Hillary - if she can be dragged away from some silly photo-op ... as if ‘real’ could rub off on her...

[setha]

That “good work ethic/work for less” is a product of desperation. Those very same people, on the day they become naturalized US citizens, become less desirable - as they are no longer easily controlled individuals.

As for US citizens, being over 40 can lead to a similar type of desperation. Not only do they get the penalty of being a citizen, they also face greater issues relating to hiring and age - even if their experience otherwise qualifies them for work.

Instead of guest workers, bring on the long-termers and let the market work to attract and retain them.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

"There is no job that is America's God-given right anymore," said Carly Fiorina, chairman of Palo Alto information technology giant H-P . . . .

"Bush-Fiorina! Yeah! In 2016!" cheers Peoples' Republic of China

[kingu]

The foreigners have a good work ethic and work for less!

Oh, I'm pretty sure that the investigation will show that these foreign workers are earning slightly more than those who they replaced.

Here's how the scam works... I go to Edison and tell them that I can replace their entire IT department for 95% of their current costs AND guarantee that contract for five years. Edison pays the outsourcer the cut that they would spend, pocketing the 5% savings (which grows each year.)

The outsourcer pays for air fare, advances some seed money to get places to live, and offers a very competitive salary (which none of the workers are complaining about at all) and then pockets 40% of what Edison gave him.

The secret? No health care. No paid vacation days, no paid holidays, no paid sick days. And of course, no social security cut. All of the foreign employers are earning a take home pay that exceeds the employees they replaced, Edison is saving money, and the person who puts together the scam pockets millions each year.

The great ones are getting paid on both ends - money from employees to be considered, who pay for their trips over, and even arrive with room money to tide them over until the first pay period.

And at the end of 3 years, here's your final paycheck, and OH, gosh, all that money that would go into the retirement fund goes into his pocket too. They might even offer a ride to the airport; after all, they have that person's replacement to pick up so they can start work as well.

[dirtboy]

You don’t have a clue. I spent much of the last weekend running QA because our outsourced QA department couldn’t figure out how to do it. And QA isn’t even my primary job responsibility.