Washtech campaign to protest Bill Gates hearing

Date: Friday, March 14, 2008 4:13 AM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1836 -- 3/14/2008 >>>>>

Washtech is providing an online email campaign to ask Representatives in
Congress to question the veracity of the Bill Gates testimony.

The text of the email has a serious factual error, but it's still worth
sending to Congress if for any other reason to let them know that we didn't
appreciate such a one-sided sham of a hearing.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/bg_h1b?rk=97SjSiS14IicW

We, information technology workers of various disciplines, feel that
many qualified and willing candidates are not being considered for
the positions going unfilled in the American IT industry. By law
these candidates cannot be bypassed in order to fill a position with
an H1B.

We would ask you to consider this when reviewing Mr Gates' Testimony
of March 12th, 2008.

Did you catch the error in Washtech's message? It is not against the law for
companies to bypass qualified and willing Americans for H-1Bs. That's why
companies like Microsoft continue to do it without fear of prosecution.
Professional organizations like Washtech shouldn't be making rookie mistakes
like this.

Washtech wrote the article below which may be one of the few we will see that
presents an opposing point of view to the Bill Gates testimony.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.washtech.org/news/industry/display.php?ID_Content=5226

March 13, 2008
WashTech News

Gates demands more H-1Bs be allowed in USA WashTech Correspondent

Los Angeles, March 12

Microsoft Chairman and founder Bill Gates today made another pitch towards
getting more H-1B workers in the country, telling Captiol Hill that, "America
will lose its status as a leader in technological innovation unless it allows
more skilled workers to enter the country". He also called on Congress to
increase federal funding of research and development and take steps to reform
secondary education. The H-1B visa program remains hugely popular, so much so
that in 2007, the program's annual cap of 65,000 was met on the first day
applications were accepted.

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Since many companies use H1-B workers to eventually outsource their technical
projects, more and more American IT workers are losing their jobs, easily
indispensable in their own country ever since the immigrant workers started
arriving in droves in the late 90s, to work for- what many times amounts to -
half the money and benefits. Marcus Courtney, president of Washtech, says
"U.S. technology workers have faced relentless economic pressure during the
past six years. Our economic recession made us lose more than 100,000 jobs. In
addition, more jobs seem to be getting outsourced overseas than getting
created here in the U.S. The idea that our country is facing a serious
shortage of skilled technical talent and an increase in visas is needed belies
the economic reality faced by everyday tech workers. Congress should be
passing legislation to protect workers not outsource more jobs overseas."

"We all want the U.S. to continue to be the world's center for innovation, but
our position is at risk," Gates said, arguing that foreign workers come with
higher educational qualifications than their American counterparts.
However, Dr. Ron Hira, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Rochester
Institute of Technology, quotes USCIS data showing that the typical foreign
worker is neither more qualified than an American, nor is being taken care of
that well. Hira says, "Gates has characterized H-1B workers as possessing
"unique talent" and skills and being paid large sums of compensation (>$100k).
But the facts belie all of these characterizations. The typical H-1B holder
holds a Bachelor's degree and is being paid $50k."

Anthony Bravos, 57, of Woodstock, IL, is a computer programmer and father of
two, who has been unemployed for two years. He says he is deeply demoralized
by his unemployment and by Gates' actions. "Is Gates American only in name?
His business practices are so blatantly anti-American!"
Bravos further adds, "I hate watching the demise of my country. If we could
just stop corporate greed we can turn around our country, but that requires
good citizenship of corporate officers, something we have not seen in over
25 years, and responsible government, which also seems to have died 25 years
ago."

Toni Chester, a New Jersey based senior Lotus notes and Domino developer,
says, "my career was destroyed by outsourcing of jobs. In August 2001, I was
displaced by Lucent Technologies / Agere Systems. I had been working on the
spin project as a contractor when they retained a guest worker and discarded
me. That was the beginning of a long, dark period in my spotless work history,
where I was unemployed for a stretch of time, unable to even pay my bills.
What are your odds when a 1,000 resumes are going to a single opportunity! I
had to learn to claw to retain even short term IT projects.
Today, I am a single parent, and my commute is 5 hours long. I cannot see my
child on many days. The icing on the cake? My current job will be outsourced
to India in December, 2008."

Bravos says he is much angered by Gates' claim on wanting to be the innovation
nation again. Bravos opines that the next generation of Americans will have a
much harsher world to live in, and he is wondering what outsourcing-proof
career advice to give to his honor student children.
Information Technology is not on the radar.

One wonders how Gates hopes America to be a leader in technical innovation
when American IT workers are being discarded in favor of younger, cheaper
foreign labor, and their own kids are not considering IT as a career, the
bloodbath in the job market holding up too vivid of a mirror to the society.

Material from The Washington Times appears in this story.

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