With another 589,000 jobs lost in January and unemployment at 7.6% and rising, the U.S. Senate has agreed to legislation requiring that banks getting federal bailout money replace laid off workers with American workers only, rather than with foreign H-1B visa workers, for the next two years. Sens. Charles Grassley and Bernie Sanders say the measure will help put Americans back to work first. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) says the measure creates "a climate of jingoistic divisiveness."
Approved by voice vote as an amendment to the economic stimulus package backed by President Obama – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – the measure sponsored by Sens. Grassley and Sanders requires that banks receiving money under the Troubled Assets Recovery Program (TARP) operate as "H-1B dependent" companies. While the banks will still be able to hire foreign H-1B visa workers, they have to attest to recruiting American workers first. In addition, the banks will not be allowed to displace American workers with H-1B visa holders or to replace laid off American workers with foreign workers.
"Wall Street caused the crisis, millions of people lost jobs, including 100,000 in financial institutions. Now they want to bring in foreign workers," said Sen. Sanders in a press release. "Talk about adding insult to injury."
Grassley also cites an Associated Press investigation showing that "a dozen banks now receiving more than $150 billion in bailouts requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years to replace laid-off American employees."
On the other hand, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) accused the Senate of looking at the issue from an "us against them" viewpoint.
"[T]he Senate caved to an old reactionary instinct: when times get tough, turn inward, put on the blinders, and hunker down," stated AILA in a press release. "Unfortunately, we know empirically that this instinct is deeply counterproductive to economic growth and creates a climate of jingoistic divisiveness."
According to AILA, the Senate's action will prevent the financial institutions involved from being able to hire "top-flight global talent who can help create jobs for U.S. workers."
Also See:
Bailout Abuse Leads to Layoffs
Getting Bailouts While Dodging Taxes
Comments
“Senate’s action will prevent the financial institutions involved from being able to hire “top-flight global talent who can help create jobs for U.S. workers.
IT staff like me are being layed off with 30 years in IT and the indians we train with no experience and also having language barrier stay on and work. I’m collecting unemployment. Yes the company makes more money but I’m having to live off tax payer money since most IT jobs are frozen. I know hundreds of experience IT pros who are out of work. Dump the H1B program.
According to AILA, the Senate’s action will prevent the financial institutions involved from being able to hire “top-flight global talent who can help create jobs for U.S. workers.”
Companies have been employing these top-flight people for over 10 years now. Can you explain how long this is going to take? Seeing the state of this country this is not a good argument.
Mark — Looks to me like the “top-flight global talent” has been neither top-flight or talented. Just global.
Personally, I’m for this amendment.
Robert
This is a great idea, not to allow any more H1-B’s to replace US workers. They only spend the money they make in their own countries (live very frugally here) I have seen it. Also, this country should always put it own US citizens first. So many very talented hard working IT professionals are out of work in-part because of the H-1B program!
What ever happened to the old saying, “Take care of your own first, then take care of the others.”
George, I think that old saying is about to see a new day.
Robert
VIDEO:
HOW TO Recruit American Workers First
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbFEgFajGU
Wait a minute…
According to AILA, the Senate’s action will prevent the financial institutions involved from being able to hire “top-flight global talent who can help create jobs for U.S. workers.” Am I missing something here? How does hiring foreigners “create jobs for U.S. workers”?
I can say for certain that THOUSANDS of electronics engineers are unemployed because of foreign labor! This is the same as union-busting: Pay workers less, to hell with the rest of the country!
Besides, American Immigration Lawyers Association is not concerned about foreigners: They are concerned about BILLING foreigners. They should be working for the U.S. population, or else move to the country they actually represent!
The economy is broken.
Unemployment is skyrocketing.
Outsourcing/Offshoring is killing the economy !
Hundreds of American companies have sent
thousands of jobs overseas and this action
is directly responsible for skyrocketing
unemployment and our broken economy.
Here are the facts:
1. Foreign workers DO NOT PAY Federal or State Taxes.
2. Foreign workers DO NOT PAY into the
Unemployment or Social Security Funds.
3. Foreign workers DO NOT spend their money
in the United States.
4. The Federal Government gives American Businesses
“cash incentives” to hire foreign workers and
put American workers “out of work”.
U.S. Dollars paid to foreign workers go overseas and
never come back. The U.S. Economy gets no benefit
from giving jobs to foreigners and is directly responsible
for the daily collapse of the U.S. Economy.
Skyrocketing unemployment is a direct result is a direct
result of Outsourcing/Offshoring.
STOP Outsourcing/Offshoring NOW before “It’s Too Late”.
H1B workers are more efficient that’s why they still stay in companies. Most of the companies which hire H1B visa employees has high profit ratio. They also pay same amount of tax as American. I don’t understand why peoples think selfishly.