Thread: NYC hires H-1Bs through IBM contract

New York Post
Sunday June 28, 2009, page 13

Online version:

NYC HIT BY NERD JOB ROB CITY
$$ FOR INDIAN HIRES

By SUSAN EDELMAN

It's a geek tragedy.

While the city vows to save and create jobs for recession-ravaged New
Yorkers, one of its biggest contractors is importing techies from India,
instead of hiring local computer nerds.
_IBM_ (http://www.nypost.com/topics/topic.php?t=IBM) won a $1.9 million
contract with the Department of Finance to analyze its old main databases so
they can be improved, but the company has transported "consultants" from
Mumbai and other parts of India to do most of the work.

At least 17 employees hired by an IBM subsidiary in India have worked in
New York since October, inspecting the city's computer systems, which hold
property and other tax records, insiders said.

"It was a dream come true," said Sunny Amin, 25, who traveled from his
Mumbai home to the Big Apple -- his first US visit.

Amin, who has an engineering degree from a college in Aurangabad, landed
his first job with IBM-India.

While a bit lost at first, Amin said, he rented an apartment in Parsippany,
NJ, and commuted by bus. After nine months on Wall Street, he's being sent
to another IBM job, in Minneapolis, on his three-year work visa.

Amin would not reveal his pay but did say, "I make about 10 times more than
I would in India."

In contract documents, IBM says it pays its technical consultants at rates
ranging from $26.24 to $278 an hour, not counting travel and living
expenses.

It could not be learned whether IBM pays its Mumbai recruits the same
rates, though watchdogs say US firms hire thousands of workers from India
because they come cheap. IBM did not return calls.

But Amin's fortune means US citizens get shut out of well-paying jobs,
critics charge.
"It's like a slap in the face," said Robert Ajaye, president of Local 2627,
a union of city-employed computer specialists. "We have people in house
who could do this job."
Instead, he said, some city staffers have had to "translate" for Indian
techies lacking English skills.

Finance spokesman Sam Miller defended the contract.

"Our systems are so old that there are not many companies that have the
ability to work on them. IBM does," he said.

susan.edelman@nypost.com

Link to online article:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282009/ne ... 176570.htm

IBM has done this for YEARS!

And this crapy statement

Finance spokesman Sam Miller defended the contract.

"Our systems are so old that there are not many companies that have the
ability to work on them. IBM does," he said.

IS BS! WE AS EX- IBM SYSTEMS PROGRAMERS< IBM DATABASE PEOPLE would love these dam jobs, but you won't hire any of us old farts because you think we want to much $$$ ! Heck I'd work for those wages in a heart beat now, as would many other old timers in the IBM world!

What a wack job. And I use to love IBM!

Ken

This is so upsetting and frustrating. There are so many talented Americans in professions across the board and they are being pushed aside in favor of foreign labor, we need to employ our own people. If the American companies are nervous about not making money, all they have to do is truthfully advertise that their products, goods, services and materials are all American made with American people and the American people would gobble their product right up. If you ask most Americans they will spend a little more to get an American service and/or product.

And this absolutely worthless administration and congress are increasing the number of H1B, H2B, H2A, other visa holders and killed e-verify. They don't give a horse's frickin' ass about struggling and unemployed Americans. They care only about giving our jobs to foreigners because their union, Chamber of Commerce, Mexican government and multinational corporate masters demand cheap labor. They want to significantly raise our utility bills and tax our health care benefits so they can provide health care and other benefits for the millions of legal and illegal cheap labor bodies pouring across the joke of an open border. When will the American people wake the hell up and realize this government doesn't care if we all disappear into a black hole because all they give a g-d damn about is cheap labor for their puppet masters. JERKS!!!!!!

When in America ,do as the Romans did, and lose your nation like the Romans did !

Originally Posted by retiredairforce

And this absolutely worthless administration and congress are increasing the number of H1B, H2B, H2A, other visa holders and killed e-verify. They don't give a horse's frickin' ass about struggling and unemployed Americans. They care only about giving our jobs to foreigners because their union, Chamber of Commerce, Mexican government and multinational corporate masters demand cheap labor. They want to significantly raise our utility bills and tax our health care benefits so they can provide health care and other benefits for the millions of legal and illegal cheap labor bodies pouring across the joke of an open border. When will the American people wake the hell up and realize this government doesn't care if we all disappear into a black hole because all they give a g-d damn about is cheap labor for their puppet masters. JERKS!!!!!!

retiredairforce, this was perfectly said. Thank you for saving me the time.

Being in the IT industry for decades, I’ve worked with all types of H1B Visa holders. Some are wonderful and smart and I really liked working with them. Some, however, where from he11 to work with. It’s pathetic to have to ask a co-worker to send an email about something they’re trying to explain in unintelligible English.

It’s incredible that companies would hire from out of the country when there are perfectly outstanding local people.

I’ve never moved to a foreign country, but foreign countries have moved in on me.

Greedy IBM still hires H1bs, when millions of Americans are unemployed and can benefit from these jobs. Such a shame IBM.

Americans seem to be the only ones our Government do not represent.When are more Americans going to wake up to this fact?

I thought only "The Rich" people in India have college degrees. Maybe it has something to do with being rich. Is America becoming a "Rich Only" country.

Tax money at work.