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  1. #1
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    Indian techies in US plan for sick-in strike

    An organization of Indian H-1Bs is calling for a national sick-in to
    protest what they believe to be injustices they suffer while in the U.S.
    Their plan is to stage this protest in mid-July. The protest is being
    coordinated by Rajiv Dabhadkar, founder of the "National Organisation for
    Software and Technology Professionals" (NOSTOP). Rajiv claims that NOSTOPS
    is a US based NGO. You can view their website at:

    http://www.nostops.org/

    This is a list of the injustices that they are griping about:

    * INDENTURED SERVITUDE - H-1B visas are sponsored by employers, therefore
    if the H-1B loses his/her job they must go back to their home country. This
    is often why H-1Bs are considered indentured labor. NOSTOPS wants H-1Bs to
    be able to stay in the U.S. if they lose their job even if they have to
    take temporary jobs in the interim.

    Their gripe has no merit because the H-1B program is intended to be used
    for TEMPORARY shortages of workers. If an H-1B loses his or her job, by
    definition they are no longer needed in the U.S. Allowing them to stay in
    the U.S. puts them in direct competition with unemployed Americans.


    * UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS - Since H-1Bs are supposed to self-deport
    themselves they can't legally collect unemployment benefits. Not
    surprisingly they think they have a right this benefit along with being
    able to hang around the U.S. while looking for another job.


    * SPOUSE AND CHILDREN OF H-1Bs CAN'T WORK - Spouse and children of H-1Bs
    can come to the U.S. on H-4 visas, but they are not authorized to work in
    the U.S. That's a good thing because if they were allowed to work
    potentially millions more Americans would lose their jobs to cheap labor.


    * TAXATION WITHOUT BENEFITS - They claim that about 1.5 million H-1B
    workers pay taxes but receive no benefits such as Social Security. There
    probably are 1.5 million H-1B workers in the U.S. but many of them don't
    pay taxes - so this is a red herring. The H-1Bs that do pay taxes enjoy the
    benefits of our infrastructure such as roads, utilities, etc. The H-1Bs
    that don't pay taxes are getting a free ride. They probably want some type
    of totalization agreement so that the U.S. government will mail them a
    Social Security check when they go back to India. That's a bad idea unless
    of course you don't care is our social security system goes bankrupt.


    * GREEN CARDS - They want more than 140,000 employment based Green Cards to
    be issued every year so that it would be easier for H-1Bs to become
    permanent residents. I oppose expansions of Green Cards because all it
    accomplishes is to allow foreign workers to stay here permanently. At least
    if they have temporary visas we can in theory get rid of them!


    * H-1B IS SIMILAR TO THE BRACERO PROGRAM - They are right about that, and
    it's interesting that NOSTOPS compare themselves to the Bracero program,
    which was used to import indentured Mexican workers from 1942 until 1964.
    They want the H-1B program to be modernized so it doesn't resemble the
    Bracero program. This is the one thing I agree with NOSTOPS on - we should
    eliminate the H-1B program for the same reasons we terminated the Bracero
    program - because they are nothing less than indentured labor subsidies to
    companies who don't want to hire more expensive Americans.

    Considering what NOSTOPS has on their own website, it's sort of surprising
    that they are calling for a "revolt" since they acknowledge that the
    strikes resulted in the termination of the Bracero program.

    http://www.nostops.org/newstorms.html

    The Bracero's finally did get some support from the local
    communities and revolted! Some Bracero's did strike to
    improve their conditions. Soon after, the strike, the
    Bracero Program was stopped altogether. This was in 1964.

    It's not entirely clear what "revolt" they are referring to. The National
    Farm Workers Association headed by Cesar Chavez had various strikes to
    support the Braceros, but generally speaking the farmers were able to
    thwart attempts at treating the Braceros like human beings. I doubt the
    H-1Bs will be any more successful against the likes of our high-tech
    corporations such as Microsoft.


    The NOSTOPS website does have insight and for that reason it's worth
    checking out. This is the same question many of us keep asking. Their
    answer is pure poppycock, but the question is valid.

    So what kind of education will protect a U.S. software
    engineer or biotechnologist from someone who can easily
    study the same things, but earns very much less?
    Why should a laid-off Java programmer in the U.S. spend
    18 months and thousands of dollars getting an advanced
    degree in neural network programming, when he knows that
    the moment there is significant demand for neural network
    techies in the U.S., the top Indian or Chinese engineering
    institutes will rush to offer equivalent courses or degrees
    at a far lower tuition fee? Who wants to be "transformed"
    from an unemployed Java programmer into an unemployed neural
    network developer with additional student loans?


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

    http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full ... _id=129307

    Indian techies in US plan for sick-in strike

    Huma Siddiqui

    New Delhi, June 2 Indian techies in the US are gearing up for a massive
    "sick-in" strike sometime around mid-July to highlight various concerns
    arising from the Bush administration's H1 visa policies.

    According to Rajiv Dabhadkar, founder of National Organisation for Software
    and Technology Professionals (NOSTOP), a US based NGO, "The present system
    encourages brokers who import high-tech talent and play havoc with their
    careers and also family lives."

    NOSTOPS, along with another US-based NGO Bright Future, has called for this
    protest and Mr Dabhadkar explained that as H1-B visa holders were not
    allowed to go on strike, they would call in sick on that particular day and
    not report for work.

    According to him, the H1 visa is an 'at-will' employment. Presently,
    the US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) allows for employer
    sanctions, which permits intellectual capital brokers to import guest
    workers into America and then outsource them locally.

    "There are no investigations on the malpractices done by the body shoppers
    who act as middlemen," he pointed out.

    The work status of a H1-B visa holder is tied completely to his employer
    and he faces risks like layoffs. In the face of a layoff, the employer is
    only liable to pay for the air fare and the worker is deported back to
    his/her country.

    If the worker intends to stay, then he has just 30 days with an additional
    grace period of 15 days to locate another sponsor and get on a payroll or
    his entry in the US may be termed illegal.

    This creates a cycle of indetentured workers, who keep shunting from one
    visa sponsor to another, Mr Dabhadkar said.

    The H1-B worker is denied the opportunity to explore other employment
    avenues available to other laid off workers. H1-B workers cannot take up
    temporary employment in the intervening period before getting employment in
    their field of expertise.

    This means an H1-B worker is caught in a vicious trap consisting of no
    income, no unemployment benefits, inability to work in any other filed to
    pay bills, and ultimately is left with no choice but to leave America.

    Other issues to be raised is the clause which states that spouse and
    children of H1-B visa holders cannot work in the US, but can only study.

    Currently around 1.5 million H1-B workers pay taxes, but receive no
    benefits because in order to receive benefits one has to put in 10 years
    (40 quarters) of work in the US.

    However, H1-B visa is a temporary visa sponsored by an American company on
    behalf of a foreign worker and it costs an average of $2,000 to sponsor a
    visa. The duration of this visa is three years, and it could be extended by
    another three years, i.e., a worker can stay and work in the USA for a
    total of 6 years on H1-B visa.

    Thus from day one a H1-B visa holder pays around 15% towards social
    security funds but cannot claim any benefits.

    Another issue which has been raced is that the H1 visa program, which is
    similar to the Bracero Program, (Mexican workers), has not been amended
    since its inception some 50 years ago. They also point out that the recent
    raise in the visa cap will only backfire on the Indian economy, as there
    has been no addition to the Green Cards received. (annually only 140,000
    Green Cards are issued globally in all non immigration visas collectively).
    Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God

  2. #2
    Senior Member moosetracks's Avatar
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    See? They're all going to start something!!! I knew it!! I told Bush, and my senators, if they allowed illegals to break our laws and prance around in our streets demanding our laws to be changed for them....that all other foreigners, visa holders, or whatever, would start something!

    What other country can foreigners demand things be changed and have our STUPID GOVERNMENT listen to them????
    Do not vote for Party this year, vote for America and American workers!

  3. #3
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    A good answer would be to lift the H-1B of anyone who participates in the protest. These are not citizens, but TEMPORARY guests. For each one who believes that the gift of a good-paying job on a temporary basis is indetured servitude, there are scores who would gladly take his place place without complaint. I say we give some of those folks a chance and deport the whiners with an attachment to their records that make them imeligible for future employment or immigration here.

    If I invite my catering staff to sit at a spare table and have dinner with the invited guests only to have them carp about the portions they receive, that will not only be the last time they are invited to have dinner with me and my guests, it will be the last meal they cater as well. This is a similar situation.

  4. #4

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    The H1b sounds very similar to the contracts we had while working foreign. I couldn't work. If we lost our job--our sponsor--we couldn't stay in the country. For the most part the company that sponsored us paid the taxes on our income...

    I don't see that the techies have a dang thing to carp about.

    I know that I hate to use a tech from India...can hardly understand what they're saying.

    MJ

  5. #5
    Senior Member xanadu's Avatar
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    See? They're all going to start something!!!
    This is actually interesting from the aspect that big business employs these people at reduced wages so they can maximize their bottom line. American workers have been cast aside because we demanded fair wages that provided a decent standard of living for our families.

    It won't be long before these folks are approached by a union who will organize them, demand fair wages etc MAYBE they will return to their own countries and employ what they learned here about power of the people and work on their issues in their own nations and leave ours alone.

    These people protesting are not dumb nor are they hurting us. They are learning ROFLMAO and Big Business will have been bitten by the imported slaves ....pooof there goes their unfairly inflated profit margin.

    I actually think this could prove beneficial to the American worker as well as a plus for our cause! Look what happened when the Hispanics rallied. It drew attention from the public. This will draw attention from the employers as well as the INS who may have to deport a few of them since they could loose their sponsership.

    We have been trying to impact these companies with boycotts. Let the visa workers and illegals do it for us. ROFL
    "Liberty CANNOT be preserved without general knowledge among people" John Adams (August 1765)

  6. #6
    Senior Member sawdust's Avatar
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    I know americans that have gone to silicon valley to do these computer tech jobs and the money sounded really great until they got there. They couldn't live on the big money out there because the cost of living in silicon valley is outrageous. Hiring cheap labor in silicon valley is not going to work and they shouldn't even be able to do it, there are plenty of people in this country that have college degrees and could do that work, I know some that can't find a job. Senator Sessions tried to tell them that we cannot take in the whole world but they wouldn't listen to him, our government is going to be on a downhill slide. The hispanics are marching in the streets demanding rights, the muslims joined them, the indians are not happy, the american citizens are extremely upset. All because mexico wants to run our government and as long as they allow it, it will only get worse. The best thing the government could do for this country and for themselves is to stand up to Mexico and put a stop to all this.

  7. #7
    Senior Member LegalUSCitizen's Avatar
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    Wow !! Our government better hope that WE don't learn all of these tricks of the trade from our "guests".

    NaturalGlenn, maybe it is time for the "general strike" !!

    Anyone out there need a raise ?!!
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  8. #8
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    WE DON'T really need these H-1B workers. Many of them have fake diplomas and needless to say that they know 3 times nothing. Look at the mess with Windows!! Americans lost these high paying software jobs too!!!

    Companies hire a few indian people, say 2 or 3, to start a software department. These indian people not feeling at ease with american workers, bring in armies of indian speaking people and friends by cargo loads, so they can work as a group sharing language and culture.

    Many of them if not all of them overstayed their contracts and ended up working at Fry's electronics, restaurants, hotels, department stores and so on... They're certainly NOT more software experts than you and I. This is the sad reality I witnessed so many times in Silicon Valley companies.

    I read in the news the other day that they account for 45 to 50 %of the total of illegals in this country. However, they do have an edge over the mexicans... they speak english!!

  9. #9
    Senior Member dman1200's Avatar
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    Maybe we need to end immigration all together. These ingrates have alot of nerve to come here and protest, but with what Bush has done, do you blame them for trying? None of these immigrants are grateful for being here, they hate this country, they don't want to assimulate nor will they, they just come here for the money, to take advantage or us, to suck us dry. I was talking with a good friend of mine tonight and I told him that I don't feel like an American anymore. I told him that I don't feel like this is my country anymore, that my citizenship doesn't mean a damn thing because it's been cheapened so much by the political elite. I feel like a foreigner in my own country. He agreed with me. He told me that if things keep getting worse that he's going to move back to Germany and I'm hoping maybe he can sponsor me. A decent white man like myself should be able to make a solid contribution. At least I won't need welfare or other government subsides and will make an effort to learn their language. I'm sick of what's happening to our country and if nobody wants to fight then when I retire, I'm taking my pension and leaving. I'll be damned if I'm subjecting my family to some third world hellhole and being taxed to support a bunch of third world invaders. At least Europe is starting to wise up to this crap, when will WE?
    Please support our fight against illegal immigration by joining ALIPAC's email alerts here https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  10. #10
    Senior Member LegalUSCitizen's Avatar
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    Last Thanksgiving since I was the new person at work, I had to work on Thanksgiving Day. I was working with an H1-B Visa guy from India. It was a very quiet day so we talked most of the time.

    He spent the whole day trying to convince me that President Bush planned out and was responsible for Sept 11th. After a couple of hours of that he spent the next two hours telling me why President Bush took us to war. All for oil.

    I kept thinking, I wish President Bush could be wire-tapping my workplace right now so he could hear all this coming from the mouth of some of his good folks from around the globe.

    A lot of his good folks are not as shy and quiet as he thinks !!
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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