Posted on 10/31/2014 11:20:28 AM PDT by Lorianne
Ever heard of Electronics for Imaging? We hadn't either until this morning, but it's apparently a multimillion dollar, multinational, public corporation based out of Fremont, California. And the United States Department of Labor just caught EFI red-handed in an investigation, which found that "about eight employees" were flown in from India to work 120-hour weeks for $1.21 per hour. EFI apparently thought it was okay to pay the employees the same wages they'd be paid in India (in Indian rupees). Here's the unbelievably crazy sounding quote EFI gave to NBC's Bay Area affiliate: "We unintentionally overlooked laws that require even foreign employees to be paid based on local US standards."
Just so we're clear: is there anyone reading this who doesn't know that any person working in the United States is legally required to be compensated according to United States laws?
Alberto Raymond, an assistant district director with the US Department of Labor told NBC, "It is certainly outrageous and unacceptable for employers here in Silicon Valley to bring workers and pay less than the minimum wage." And that applies to EFI especially, which posted just shy of $200 million in revenue in its last financial quarter. EFI is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange, and the company's in the business of computer peripherals (mainly printer-based stuff).
The eight employees are being paid $40,000 in owed wages; they were reportedly installing computer systems at the company's headquarters. EFI was charged $3,500 -- yes, seriously -- for being at fault.
You miss the point H1B is to skilled workers what illegal aliens are to unskilled... its all about keeping downward pressure or salaries.
Why none of us can a decent wage.
“Just so we’re clear: is there anyone reading this who doesn’t know that any person working in the United States is legally required to be compensated according to United States laws?”
Everyone knows that! Just like everyone knows that you can’t come into the United States illegally and get a driver’s license, in-state college tuition, public education and EBT funds for your kids.
What a bunch of goof balls!
Their excuse is a poor one at best. They should have been jailed for abusing those poor workers.
Is the GOP in favor of worker visas?
“Slavery-lite” is why liberal elites back illegal immigration. They don’t give a damn about these people - it’s just cheap labor for them... That’s why democrats are given the BIG donations... not to ‘help’ but to abuse...
Were they on H1-b’s? I haven’t seen any mention of what visas they came here on.
I’m amazed they did not all quit and take jobs at McDonalds for a 7000% pay increase.
They don't come here and work for the same wages, even when paid a legal wage.
They could have been paid minimum wage and it would have been legal. Meanwhile and American that put themselves through school, trained and expected to find a job at a tech company has lost out to someone brought into the country to work cheap.
Sure but they could have gotten away with it by just having the employees work in India (or wherever). Lots of outsourcing going on in fields where information can be transmitted electronically ... no need to bring people over here or go through the visa hassle.
I’m not advocating this mind you, just saying many businesses do this. I can’t imagine how this firm could be so stupid to not know how this is done.
Most likely a B-1 business visa. That is the one that allows you to be paid in your home country and local currency. But that is only supposed to be used for limited circumstances (i.e. coming to your American home office for a week of meetings, etc.)
They could have come over on a typical 3 month tourist visa. Could be that’s why they had to work so many hours/day before their ordinary (non-work) visa expired.
Mostly, yes. But there are a few that restore my faith in humanity like Sen. Jeff Sessions.
I seem to remember Google wanting a ship off the west coast to get aound visa requirements. It looks like these poor palookas would wind up in steerage.
It's worse than it looks. They reportedly were working 120 hours per week at that wage. They were working the equivelent of 3 shifts each. That is, for less than $2/hr, each of them was doing the work of 3 people.
No, what they did is an act of treason against the citizens of the US. They should be stripped of their citizenship and deported.
“I’m amazed they did not all quit and take jobs at McDonalds for a 7000% pay increase.”
They can’t. Their H1B visas tie them to the company that hired them and brought them over from India. They are at that company’s mercy. And don’t be fooled into thinking these CA high tech companies are Republican. Most of them are owned and/or run by liberal Democrats. A bunch of greedy Dems.
In 2012 Francine Falk-Allen of EFI gave $1000 to Obama’s election campaign.
Interesting, Thanks
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