H-1Bs - Still Not the Best and the Brightest

Date: Friday, May 02, 2008 12:28 AM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1863 -- 5/01/2008 >>>>>

Norman Matloff wrote a paper that totally debunks the myth that H-1Bs are the
"best and the brightest". To read it go here:

http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back508.html
H-1Bs: Still Not the Best and the Brightest By Norman Matloff

Lou Dobbs used the Matloff study for a recent show. View the video at either
of these links, or read the transcript below.

Lou Dobbs - More H-1B Visas
http://www.cnn.com//video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/04/28/ldt.h1b.visas.cnnor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcVhCjz4D1A

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

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0804/28/ldt.01.html

LOU DOBBS TONIGHT

Aired April 28, 2008

DOBBS: When it comes to gasoline, the news just gets worse and worse, the
price of gasoline today hitting a new high of $3.60 a gallon. A convoy of
truckers today drove into Washington, D.C., to protest high fuel costs.
Those truckers circled the National Mall, with their horns blaring, before
making their way -- all the way to the Capitol for a rally.

Many truckers forced to pay higher prices for fuel. They say it's just
difficult now for them to even stay in business, let alone make their runs.
Diesel fuel averaging about $4.25 a gallon now across the country, just a
year ago, it was $2.90. It can cost a trucker more than $1,300 to fill the
tank in one of those 18-wheelers.

It's more than rising fuel costs costing Americans their jobs. A new study
shows what we've been saying here for years big business is simply taking
advantage of visa programs for cheap labor. The report shows visa
applicants are not the best workers available, as businesses have, many of
them argued, but simply ordinary workers with sometimes just average skills
taking American jobs and driving wages lower. Bill Tucker has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCKER (voice-over): Average that is what the H1-B visa program is
providing in the way of foreign worker talent, according to a new analysis
by a critic of the program. The analysis, called H1-B, still not the best
and the brightest uses actual wages paid to visa workers against prevailing
wages in a profession and creating a measure it calls the talent measure.

Using the number one to represent average, the median value of talent in
all foreign tech workers came in at one. The study's author, University of
California Davis Professor Norm Matloff (ph) that a better moniker might be
"ordinary talent doing ordinary work", businesses lobbying to expand the
program far a simple economic reason, the report says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are mostly average workers and what the business
community wants is to increase the supply of workers and keep wages down.

TUCKER: The data suggests business is not seeking a higher level of talent.
The Department of Labor uses four levels of classification. The first two
require little or no judgment. They're entry-level positions, which is
where the vast majority of H1-B workers are concentrated. Very few, only 11
percent, are level four workers are people who quote "plan and conduct
work-requiring judgment and independent evaluation."

Matloff's (ph) analysis found that among companies that push the hardest
for expanding the H-1B program, there are few level-four workers to be
found among their H1-B hires. We contacted representatives from two
lobbying groups pushing for expanding the H1- B visa program for comment,
Compete America and the National Foundation for American Policy. Both
declined to comment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCKER: Compete America actually saying that it would not make anyone
available for comment because it doesn't like the editorial position of
this show. The National Foundation for American Policy said its spokesman,
Stuart Anderson (ph), was just out of town, Lou, and not reachable for
comment.

DOBBS: There's a brilliant idea. They don't like the editorial position of
the show. Here's the editorial position of the show. Bill Gates and all of
you playing these little games with those congressmen and senators who just
want to kiss your feet when you walk into Washington, D.C., here's the
editorial policy of this show and this broadcast and the people who work on
it.

We don't really think that that looks so good for you people in Washington,
to be slobbering over billionaires who are asking for an unlimited number
of H1-B visas no matter what the cost is to American workers. And Bill
Gates, specifically for you, we have reserved a chair here at any time for
you to come in and explain how you could testify as you did before Capitol
Hill when only three percent, three percent of your 900 H1-B visa workers
at Microsoft are considered level four and keep giving us those speeches on
the best and the brightest, Mr. Gates, because you're just doing it, just
doing it beautifully. Except for one thing -- you look like a complete and
utter fool and we really don't understand why a man so smart as you would
choose to look like a fool, especially in the nation's Capitol.

Bill Tucker, what in the world are they going to do?

TUCKER: I have no -- they're going to want more, they're going to get more,
most people will say. Congress will in fact do exactly what they want them
to do.

DOBBS: What is it going to take for the American working man and woman in
this country to decide that before he or she is a Republican or a Democrat
that you're going to insist first on honesty, straight forwardness, and
first, the national interests and all of our interest is tied up in
succeeding at that. It's remarkable. Bill, thank you very much. Good work.

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