Microsoft Dodges Senator's Layoff Questions

[tripwire45]

Microsoft responded Tuesday to queries from a U.S. lawmaker urging the company to retain American workers rather than foreign workers when conducting its layoffs, but the software giant dodged most of Senator Charles Grassley's questions. Following Microsoft's announcement on Jan. 22 that it would lay off 5,000 people, Grassley, an Iowa Republican, sent a letter to CEO Steve Ballmer, expressing his concern that Microsoft would retain foreign guest workers rather than similarly qualified American employees. "It is imperative that in implementing its layoff plan, Microsoft ensures that American workers have priority in keeping their jobs over foreign workers on visa programs," he wrote.

More of this news article at PCWorld.com.

The Rush Limbaugh Party is concerned now? Maybe they shouldn't have increased H1B visas every year for the last eight years.

[wnirenberg]

You would think that would be a "No Brainer" for Microsoft, but then again...it is Microsoft!

March 3, 2009
WashTech News

Foreign Companies Will Lie to Win American Contracts (Part IV)
Rawlein G. Soberano, Ph.D.

Citigroup recently announced that it is outsourcing all its IT business staff and services to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a large multi-national outsourcing company based in India with US corporate offices located in Cincinnati. Citigroup has placed the majority of its IT and R&D staff in the Cincinnati region in the past 5 years. It has provided documentation through the US Federal Courts lawsuits that it employs over 12,000 contractors where over 90% are H-1B and L-1B visa workers. American workers in Citigroup are going to be in jeopardy to be permanently displaced by H-1B and L-1B Tata workers.

In late 2007, Tata received an $18 million, 8-year tax abatement from Clermont County and the State of OH to relocate their US headquarters to OH and "create" 1,000 jobs in Clermont County within a 3-year period. Tata has not yet fulfilled the terms of the tax agreement to fulfill the state tax abatement - "their corporate HQ is only 30% occupied, parking lots are empty and the future expansion plan is in limbo. However, Citigroup moved its R&D and development to OH 5 years ago. This group is among all IT departments being outsourced to Tata, closing down its IT operations in Cincinnati/Northern KY and moving them to Tata US HQ in Clermont County.

Where are the jobs Tata negotiated with the state of OH in exchange for $18 million of tax breaks? Tata has internally transferred 450 jobs that already exist from Northern OH to Clermont County and was supposed to create only 550 new jobs to meet state tax abatement requirements. Tata claims these 550 "newly created" jobs will be high-level software development jobs but has not advertised them in the local and state community media. This means that OH state government financed up to $27,000 per job for Tata to create 550 IT jobs that are already there. The outsourcing deal with Citigroup that is under Fed Govt. review further implies that more OH jobs will be transferred to Tata and not be newly created jobs as the original state tax abatement implies. OH does not benefit when 1,000 jobs are retained in the state from Tata transfers to a total of $18 million for 8 years and no new jobs are actually created in the state.

BHO has pledged to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. Indian offshore firms, such as Tata, Satyam, Wipro, Resourcesoft, Megasoft, Infosys, Global Cynex, etc. here at home are worried that he might impose sanctions on foreign companies that discriminate against American workers whose exclusion from employment has been the goose that lays them the golden egg for unfair competition. They are meeting with BHO officials in March 2009 to make sure any job program he comes up with does not stop the white collar bleed to India and take away the one-sided benefits that have flown their way to date at American workers' expense.

We have to be vigilant that enemies of the American workers do not take over the BHO team. I have my doubts about the commitment of certain people in his team whom I consider as not committed to protect American jobs because they are so obsessed with "free trade." Sen. Gregg (then-DOC secretary nominee) comes to mind because he wants to raise the number of H-1B visas to 150,000. He is clueless if he bases his knowledge from the talking points of the GOP in their blind kamikaze support of free trade to exploit cheap labor. He parrots what Bill Gates (another corporate moron) who makes unsubstantiated and unproven claims that every H-1B visa creates 5 jobs for Americans. Only an idiot will make such a statement.

BHO has nominated Gregg to be a member of his team because he is Republican in the name of bipartisanship. It seems like BHO is a prisoner of old ideas (forget the big talk about change; talk is cheap). He is stacking his economic team with pro H-1B, anti-worker dregs from industry and WJC & GWB administrations, e.g., Larry Summers, Ron Kirk, Diana Farrell, etc. His position on the subject may have been written by industry. It's dishonest to claim change when you are renewing, repeating or perpetuating the policies of the past. Those of us who worked hard for his election are disappointed with these moves even though he is different from his predecessors. Maybe his opponents and critics are right that his "lack of experience" will cost us plenty. He has been in office for under 5 weeks, and he has already allowed these adversaries of the national interest and the average workingman to take over the direction of his administration. He may be cool under duress but is weak under in the face of the opposition; he may be articulate on the issues but words are meaningless if they don't help the average American worker.

What federal legal safeguards protect US workers from Citigroup for discriminatory hiring actions by outsourcing companies, such as Tata, when the Fed Govt.'s financial bailout assistance is provided to benefit the likes of Citigroup Financial? Tata has an established track record of not hiring US citizens for IT contracts and will not openly discuss this outsourcing concern with the news media. We have some of the best, if not the best, in their fields, whether it is manufacturing and engineering or literature and humanities. Just look at the number of American Nobel laureates every year. Our responsibility is with our graduates who are entering the workforce and workers who want to work in and move up their field. We owe nothing to foreign nationals!

SOURCE: http://www.washtech.org/news/industr...D_Content=5291

[Beoweolf]

This "Hit piece" being posted (and surviving) despite the unmitagated stupidity is remeakable.

The stated "facts" of the matter and the conclusion offered can not support serious thought, debate nor entertain any reasoned thought.

BHO? I assume places the oversite, responsiblity and failure on our new President or his administration - even though the agreement was or at least appears to one between State and/or local authorities?

Even more interesting, the text of the message clearly states this travesty was conceived in 2007. AFAIK - the current administration took office "on or about Jan 20, 2009" I wonder if that escaped notice of the OP in presenting this informative message?

[Thrifty]

A technicality on laying off H1B workers - company is responsible for providing ($$) transportation back to worker's country of origin.

[JulietteKlonk]

I was looking for this the other day. i dont usually post in forums but i wanted to say thank you!