Posted on 07/14/2015 8:37:08 AM PDT by ConservingFreedom
Microsoft is among the companies supporting a bill in Congress that would, among other things, raise the limit on H-1B visas from 65,000 to 195,000 and eliminate a cap on people who get an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). The company has also talked about a "skills gap" in the U.S. that makes raising the cap H-1B visa workers important.
So when Microsoft announced layoffs last week, opponents of the "I-Squared" bill quickly weighed in. As Sen. Jeff Sessions, (R-Ala.), noted, the Microsoft cuts show "there is a surplus -- not a shortage of skilled, talented and qualified Americans seeking STEM employment."
Sessions is chairman of the Senate's Immigration Subcommittee and his criticism of Microsoft was aimed as much at the company as at Senate supporters of the I-Squared bill. Among those supporters: Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican now seeking the GOP presidential nomination.
Here's how the fight over the H-1B program is playing out politically:
* In spelling out his innovation platform in a speech in Chicago last week, Rubio argued that the nation faces -- here's that phrase again -- a skills gap. He didn't cite the H-1B program specifically, but he didn't have to. The skills gap claim is a mainstay assertion by Microsoft and others who want more visas. * Rubio's Democratic counterpart in Florida, Sen. Bill Nelson, has called for an investigation into reports that Disney Parks and Resorts has been replacing IT workers by relying on IT services firms that are large users of the H-1B visa. Rubio has remained largely silent on the issue, although a spokeswoman said Rubio is "of course" concerned about the reports, but has little faith in the Obama Administration to look into the matter. * Even as Senators line up on both sides of the I-Squared bill, the Department of Labor -- after first saying there was little it could do -- agreed to look into reports clear across the country in California. There, Southern California Edison and other employers have been accused of using temporary visa holders to displace U.S. workers. (Sources indicate that the Justice Department's Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices will look into whether U.S. workers were discriminated against.)
Although the I-Squared bill seems to have little traction at the moment, opponents fear that powerful backers like Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch might still could find a roundabout way to move the measure forward. Hatch serves in a top Senate leadership post.
Comments at site - violent!
If the H1Bs are so valuable and necessary, why doesn’t Microsoft open an office in India? Why the need to bring them to the U.S.?
We’ve got a skills gap all right, in Washington!
Naked wage depression nothing more.
There isn’t a skills gap, there is a wage gap, and one that H1B visas help to widen.
companies bring the H1bs here to be trained then ship them home to oversee operations overseas and train others.
Threaten a man's livelihood and he may get hot under the collar:
'This is all out war on Americans, and we should respond accordingly. From Obama and Clinton, to most of the GOP presidential candidates (Walker and Huckabee the only stand outs), we're at the end of their gun barrels.
'Time to turn the guns on them. Do NOT give in to anyone pumping any of these pro-H1B anti-American political slime!!!!!!!! For every "Ted Cruz stands for the Constitution", turn up the volume and yell "He's a Goldman Sachs sell out!" no matter which candidate it is.
'Make no mistake, they do not care about you, your family, your neighbors nor this country. It's all about the money in their pockets.'
Comment from site:
There is no skills gap or shortage of STEM workers, and H1B scab job robbers are brought here solely for the purpose of replacing Americans and taking their jobs, taking what doesn’t belong to them - what belongs to American citizens tax payers. H1B is welfare for IT companies, we’re not paying taxes to help fix india’s unemployment problems - stay home and fix your country’s issues. Bottom line: GO BACK HOME H1B job robber trash scab, you’re not welcome here
We are being replaced. Our betters have decided to replace us.
Sessions is an idiot. “STEM” skills can be very specialized. Perhaps Microsoft should make some effort to “retrain” their employees, but the employees bear some responsibility for not gaining skills that Microsoft finds useful.
They do not need an H1B visa to bring people here for trining then send them home. Tell the truth.
I saw a small H1B effect last week that was positive. The company needed to layoff 1/8th of our staff. The people missing this week are several of the H1B people. There are actually a few Americans left who were slightly less qualified that the employees who are gone.
You are the idiot.
They CAN be - but no evidence has been offered that a significant portion of H-1Bs have such skills. Most of the observations posted to FR are of H-1Bs who are inflexible unimaginative code-monkey drones ... whose sole advantage is that can be had much cheaper than Americans due to loopholes that Congress hid in the H-1B legislation.
One of the most important of those "skills" is accepting $10 an hour.
My college frat buddy works for Dell and he travels all over Asia. MS has an office in India and all over Southeast Asia. MS already owns Skype for crying out loud and they couldn;t even use that to teleconference?
-PJ
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