Thread: Senator Grassley asks Microsoft to axe foreign workers first

These employees were hired on temporary work visas. If they are ill-prepared to leave the country on a short notice, thats their fault. They should have known that this wasnt a permanent situation.

Oh and letting an American go wouldn't do that you Billie Commie Gates!

Your run is over!

"My point is that during a layoff, companies should not be retaining H-1B or other work visa programme employees over qualified American workers," Grassley said.

This is absolutely true, but it's disgusting to think how often it happens. It's probably not very simple to verify as these H-1B's often work through consulting companies. I really don't think Microsoft will permit it either.

"Our immigration policy is not intended to harm the American workforce."

Sadly, it has harmed the American workforce. In software engineering, it has harmed it bigtime!

I have been looking for a job for a while and am directly competing against people on H1-B visas. These people can work for hardly nothing compared to those of us with mortages/college debt/families/whatever.

The H-1B program should be suspended until unemployment in our fields gets closer to 0%. Certainly any layoffs that occur, should target H-1B's first. Sadly, I doubt it will happen.

Here's the problem:

"I know of no immigration law that would require Microsoft or any other U.S. company to lay off its lawfully employed foreign workers first," Weber wrote in an e-mail."

its time to make an update to the law. This kind of law DOES exist in Mexico in its immigration and labor laws. Seriously, the USA should take a real good look at Mexico's immigration law and enact the parts which would make immigration actually strengthen the country and not weaken it.


On APPLE products: I made the PC to MAC switch a year and a half ago even before using Vista. XP was bad enough and I can't tell you how many hours and how stressful it was just keeping my damned computer stable! Well that has NEVER been an issue with Apple. I bought iMacs...wonderful. In Mexico they are so much more expensive so up in USA the price is very good considering that you will never have to install the OS ever again and you will save so much valuable time and will be able to focus on your work instead of becoming a microsoft technician. After being used to the OSX working on a PC is like getting out of a ferarri and getting into a yugo.

"I know of no immigration law that would require Microsoft or any other U.S. company to lay off its lawfully employed foreign workers first," Weber wrote in an e-mail."


These people are not immigrants!
The law should say that H1b Visa people are laid off before Americans!