Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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June 7, 2007 3:21 PM
VOTE ALERT: Chamber of Commerce Pushes Lieberman Bill to Gut Sanders H-1B Bill
As an update to my last post, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's top lobbyist has sent a letter to all U.S. Senators urging them to vote against the bipartisan Sanders-Grassley bill that would bar companies that are engaging in mass layoffs of American workers from using the H-1B visa program to hire lower-paid foreign workers. They are specifically asking Senators to vote for a "secondary amendment" by Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut that would gut the Sanders-Grassley proposal.
Here are a few excerpts of the letter:
"On behalf of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation of more than three million businesses of every size, sector, and region, I urge you to oppose the Sanders-Grassley amendment to S. 1348, the 'Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Reform Act of 2007.' This amendment would prohibit companies from obtaining any H-1B workers if there has been a notice or a "mass layoff" under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act in the past year, or if there will be a layoff in the next six months. Also, the Chamber urges you to support a side-by-side offered by Senator Lieberman. The Sanders-Grassley amendment is unnecessary...Further, this amendment sweeps too broadly, and is completely unworkable, as it would effectively bar an employer from using H-1B workers if it had a 'mass layoff' in the past year or anticipated one in the near future."
It's really unbelievable how shameless people are in Washington - it is a city where its just AOK to oppose legislation that would prevent abuse of the H-1B program by corporate executives who want to use it to lay off American workers and hire lower-paid foreign workers. And I'm still amazed (though I know I shouldn't be) that Lieberman is carrying the bill to gut this commonsense proposal. His corruption is now just so out there for everyone to see, bringing him down to a new level of shamelessness. He's pushing the poison pill as a pretty clear payback to the Chamber for the massive ad buy the organization did for him during his tough-fought re-election race. Here's the New Haven Register's details on that from 9/9/06:
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ran an ad from Sept. 1-7 for Lieberman, part of a $10 million national campaign to back candidates responsive to business interests who are in competitive races...Geoff O’Hara, executive director for the Eastern Region of the chamber, cited the senator’s votes on free trade legislation, transportation funding, bankruptcy reform and class-action legal reform as particularly important to them."
I'll update folks on the bill's progress as I get more information.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
This is good stuff and sorely needed, but I can already see how businesses will get around this. A good portion of the H1-B Visas already go to Indian outsourcing companies located in the US. So, a US company that wants to use H1-B labor can still do their layoffs and then hire replacement H1-B workers by contracting through the Indian outsourcing companies.
Sorry, David posted too quick. My reply is under the wrong topic!
This was to be expected. The corruptors in both parties want this abomination of a immigration to pass no matter what.
Its especially shameful that Reid and Schumer have done everything possible to make sure that the public has had no input on the main immigration bill as well. No studies or impact statements done, just hurry up and pass the bill is Reid's little effort to wipe out the working class.
Folks we're being sold out and Lieberman isn't the only bad guy in this. Lieberman is just the sacrifical goat for Reid and Schumer to have a cover for selling out to big business.
Reid could kill the bill anytime he wants, he has the power. But instead he's doing everything possible to keep it alive.
All the current shenanighans remind me of the crap Democrats pulled to ram through NAFTA.
The Democrats are really showing people, they are another branch of the GOP. Albeit a politically correct version.
Reuters News quotes President Bush as calling for "humane" measures. But humane treatment doesn't seem to be the most important goal of either party leadership right now. If our foreign policy were more humane (or even more sensible), more people might be able to find good jobs without coming to the United States.
The Senate Judiciary committee on Immigration provides a report to congress once per year. Here is their latest report...
CRS Report For Congress, Immigration, April 24, 2007
Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/84327.pdf
go to the section (toards the end)
entitled “Certification versus Attestation” and
it says…
BEGIN QUOTE:
· Many (corporations) argue that the labor market tests in the INA in their current forms are insufficiently flexible, entail burdensome regulations, and may pose potential litigation expenses for employers.
· Proponents (corporations) of these views support extensive changes — particularly moving…
· FROM: labor certification based upon documented actions
(i.e., evidence of recruitment advertisements)
· TO: a streamlined attestation of intent. These advocates of streamlining maintain it would increase the speed with which employers could hire foreign workers and reduce the government’s role in delaying or blocking such employment.
END QUOTE:
This is outragious. Corporations are saying, in writing, that they prefer to completely bypass the American Workers so they can more quickly fill these positions with Foreign Workers.
With information technology, it is less "burdensome" for corporations to simply "place an order" for Foreign Workers with one of the big 3 staffing firms... Adecco, ManPower or Robert Half International.
Then all the mom and pop firms and H1B only resume blasters provide a supply source of H1B Visa only resumes.
It's less burdensome on corporations if Congress allows them to discriminate against American Workers.
Will Congress grant them permission to discriminate?
I brought this to the attention of Senator Richard Durbin and he laughed.
Senator Durbin also voted for cloture on the evening of June 7, 2007.
It is my sense that our Senators are not concerned about losing their jobs during their next election.
Colleen
I
The Senate Judiciary committee on Immigration provides a report to congress once per year. Here is their latest report...
CRS Report For Congress, Immigration, April 24, 2007
Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/84327.pdf
go to the section (toards the end)
entitled “Certification versus Attestation” and
it says…
BEGIN QUOTE:
· Many (corporations) argue that the labor market tests in the INA in their current forms are insufficiently flexible, entail burdensome regulations, and may pose potential litigation expenses for employers.
· Proponents (corporations) of these views support extensive changes — particularly moving…
· FROM: labor certification based upon documented actions
(i.e., evidence of recruitment advertisements)
· TO: a streamlined attestation of intent. These advocates of streamlining maintain it would increase the speed with which employers could hire foreign workers and reduce the government’s role in delaying or blocking such employment.
END QUOTE:
This is outragious. Corporations are saying, in writing, that they prefer to completely bypass the American Workers so they can more quickly fill these positions with Foreign Workers.
With information technology, it is less "burdensome" for corporations to simply "place an order" for Foreign Workers with one of the big 3 staffing firms... Adecco, ManPower or Robert Half International.
Then all the mom and pop firms and H1B only resume blasters provide a supply source of H1B Visa only resumes.
It's less burdensome on corporations if Congress allows them to discriminate against American Workers.
Will Congress grant them permission to discriminate?
I brought this to the attention of Senator Richard Durbin and he laughed.
Senator Durbin also voted for cloture on the evening of June 7, 2007.
It is my sense that our Senators are not concerned about losing their jobs during their next election.
Colleen
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