People who have been affected or who are concerned about the exploits of Outsourcing and H1-x Visas should follow two simple precepts:


First Precept; Bring your concerns over the exploits of Outsourcing and H1-B Visas to your/our elected officials. To be heard we must speak, whining on here is not going to be enough to influence our elected official’s. Call, Fax, Mail or Email your Elected Officials. Here is nice tool to get you started. http://www.senate.gov/

Second Precept; Boycott products from American companies who send jobs overseas or hire H1-x Visa holders in favor of qualified American workers. Now, looking over the list of companies who are culpable is quite large, you will have to do a little homework.

You may find that the outset of building your “Product Boycott List” may be cumbersome. You may say where do I start? I would say, start by saving your receipts. You now have a list of products you generally purchase each time you go shopping or whatever. The best part about it, the list is already created for you in the form of a receipt. Once you get a handle on your list, you can add things as you go, as the majority of the items you purchase are already accounted for.

You can run down your receipt and compare manufactures of products which you purchased, against companies culpable of outsourcing jobs and hiring of H1-B Visa holders.

Here are some other resources:

http://www.onshorealternatives.com/

http://www.ariannaonline.com/outsourcing/index.php

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/

http://www.itpaa.org/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=6

http://www.oocenter.com/t216.html

http://www.zazona.com/LCA-Data/


You may be surprised to find that many of the products you purchase are from companies who outsource. Some of these products may be your favorite products. This is where you have to be tough. If you truly want to make a statement, you will look for an alternative from a manufacturer who truly believes in America and keeps jobs here and chooses the American citizen over a foreigner when it comes to a job.

You may also find that you cannot find an alternative product, because all companies who manufacture the product outsource or hire H1-x workers. In those cases you have to make the purchase. I would however purchase the item that costs the least, at least the company isn’t trying to maximize its profits when they are using cheap labor to manufacture it. I would also consider the company who has the lesser number of outsourced jobs or H1-x workers.

In the process of looking for alternative products, you may come across a product that you like more than its predecessor. By making your new purchase, you are also awarding a company who keeps jobs here in America, who would have otherwise lost out to the company who's product(s) you usually purchased. This will create a critical mass and companies culpable will have to rethink their stance on the benefits of Outsourcing.

Optionally, a well written (anonymous) letter to the manufacturer whom you are choosing to boycott, letting them know that you will be purchasing an alternative product from a manufacturer whom chooses to keep jobs here in the US and keep American citizens employed.

This way, companies will know that people are actively boycotting their products for their participation in the dismantling of the Middle Class, due to job outsourcing and awarding foreigners’ with jobs when there are qualified Americans applying for the same job or existing employees are getting terminated to make way for a cheaper alternative.

When companies start to see the movement against Outsourcing/H1-x hiring, they will think twice about their current stance on the issue. This is where we got them by the B@##$. Companies depend on us to purchase their products as much as we depend on them for a job. It’s a two-way street.

Now, I can see there being a legitimate need to outsource work or hire a H1-x Visa holder. There is legitimacy when the job market is hot and businesses are thriving, such as how things were in the late 90’s. You could not find enough qualified American workers to fill the jobs that were necessary to keep up with the amount of work which needed to be produced -- Worker Supply and Demand.

Times are different now, there is a severe employment shortage, dislocated workers, etc… problem here in the US and companies don’t want to let go of Outsourcing/H1-x hiring. They’ve gotten greedy and are living high off the hog with a measure that in all likelihood seemed to be intended as a safety valve when there was “Truly” a worker shortage.

Today, you will hear companies justify with great conviction that they are Outsourcing/H1-x hiring, only because there are “not enough qualified American workers to do the job”. That sappy and tired line may have worked in the late 90’s, but I’m not buying it today.



For Americans who are concerned about the effects of “Outsourcing and H1-x Visas”, these two precepts are your tool. Enacted by each person, we become a force.

If you have something you would like to add, please do so.

Thanks

Yes, I would like to add something.

Over the last 50 years some amazingly talented people have made business and science advance; yet the benefits have scarcely been passed on to the average working person as the average family works more now and has a lower standard of living than 30 years ago while the real price of cars and housing has about doubled!

I do not know if cooperatives are the answer (?) but Americans must recreate businesses focused on customers, workers, and community rather than tax avoidance/evasion and using laws to exclude competition. While China continues to tighten its grip on its citizens, we send our jobs and inventions to them. Rather, we should off a light of hope and allow immigration instead of funding the Great Firewall of China! I'd like to know more how cooperatives could work.

For the concept of Buying American to work then it must work economically. That is, if I buy groceries from the corner store then he should buy computer software from me. We have plenty of examples such as Arnold Sch. who preaches on TV for Caifornians to "Be Californian, Buy California" but refuses to sign the bill passed by the CA legistlature to require CA to follow his advice. Furthermore, it is my belief that the trade should occur at the international value of the good or service. Until the USA levies fair taxes on imports (at least equal to the taxes on work and goods in the USA) trade amongst Americans will be at a 10x or so disadvantage. Only by trading at the lowest global rate can the tax load be fair. I do not know if the IRS would allow this though they seem to smile on Offshoring as practiced by those who use Bermuda and Offshoring in general as a way to reduce/avoid/evade the tax load on companies. Estimated taxes on $30B was lost last year to Bermuda alone! As someone who formely had a tech business, I would not restart one without real need due to the harrassment of the IRS. E.g. one time I was sent a bill because I claimed no employees for a month! I had no employees. I had only one the several months before that. This is the sort of nonsense the IRS does while awarding its IT contract to a major expatriate!

I do not think working with governemnt officials will help Americans as the past performance shows they are concerned with lining their pockets and the pockets of their buddies and as I mounted a letter and email campaign to all of my candidates in the last election and found only two (one retiring Democrat and one Liberterian) who gave a flip about the effects of Offshoring. I think organizing into cooperatives and otherwise cutting the belly from the Offshoring companies is the only viable solution I see. Otherwise, move to India or China for the next decade while the USA standard of living falls downward and theirs runs upward.

I also observe that this problem is much worse than Americans think. Companies are moving overseas as fast as they possibly can without letting the cat out of the bag. For example, go out of business here in the USA so you do not have to pay retirement. Amazingly same people open a similar business in India. Shut down here. Buy a business in India. Et cetera. From my circle of acquaintances in tech I see absolutely no slowdown nor end to Offshoring.

This one pushes on my last nerve! I financed a car with an American company that outsourced all their customer service to India. Recently, a payment got misapplied (there was a number missing on the account number I wrote on the check, never mind that the payment coupon was in the envelope, my name and address clearly on the check itself.) I spent two painful weeks talking daily to Indian customer service reps, who obviously knew enough English to call me and read a script, but not enough to help me. Then I started with the supervisors. Two weeks later, my check has cleared the bank, but still not been applied to my account. While I have had an occasional similar experience here, I could at least find someone who understands me to get some satisfaction, and could eventually get high enough to the top to get the problem resolved. With this call center, all I can get is a "floor supervisor." I'm writing a letter to the company to let them know this is NOT customer service.

All I can think of, besides the hassle, is that these are AMERICAN jobs that have been outsourced.

Outsourcing and non-immigrant visa guest worker programs are often presented as part of the "new business model". Business "leaders" and politicians don't want people to call them on this issue.

The fact is that outsourcing and worker replacement programs are all the direct result of laws passed by Congress or trade agreements accepted by Congress. These "new ways of doing business" didn't just arrive out of nowhere. They didn't emerge out of some immutable laws of business.

When enough people realise that they have lost their middle class lives or the chance to become "middle class" due to the lies and fraud practiced by politicians, there is a chance to undo some of the damage that has been done. Politicians and CEOs are absolutely appalled when people threaten to replace elected officials and demand a change in the laws to prohibit outsourcing or penalise this activity.

In the coming months, when the dollar continues to decline, outsourcing increases, job creation stalls, the trade deficit continues, and inflation increases, there will be additional opportunities to revisit this topic.

I hope that Democrats will get their house in order and stop voting with the pro-outsourcing and pro-worker replacement lobbies. This issue was very poorly handled by Democrats in this recent election. In order to be taken seriously by many voters, Democratic Party politicians need to keep their hands out of the corporate cookie jar and start voting in the best interests of Americans generally. (The recent votes by Ted Kennedy and other Dems to support a 20,000 worker increase in the H-1b non-immigrant visa cap is just the sort of American job killer which Democrats should never vote for.)

Additional infomation on this topic is available at:

www.outsourcecongress.org
www.washtech.org
www.itpaa.org

I thought this Guy "Ted Kennedy" was for the working man/woman. I now can see why the pig is the most despised (next to W) politician.

Also www.noslaves.com and http://forum.noslaves.com

We're still here.

To all of those on the contributors mailing list (this is for people who
want to either write detailed original articles for the website, write scripts
or take responsibility for an organized action item)

We had to move web hosts. Guess what I discovered with the webhost...
you guessed it, H-1B VISA and outsourced to India.

We know host with a 100% American/legal resident workforce company.

The previous host also made major major DNS entries in their server...
so I believe the website speed is much much faster.

In terms of what to do next, firstly we need a coalition amoung groups and people
to build up strength. That's not happening now.

Good job, it is my hope that more and more Americans be vigilant to those companies whom are actively dismantling the American workforce. I will definitely contribute to the NoSlaves Forum, thanks.

To reiterate my original posting, we have to be tough, most companies today don’t care about the American worker.

They don’t care if you have a mortgage to pay or are paying for your child’s tuition, regardless if you’re a hard worker and have made significant contributions to the company, we are expendable in their eyes. Whether it’s to raise their stock price, off-shore your job/replace you with an H-1B, or to give themselves a huge raise, your just a number. Don’t forget that!

There are however, people in Congress who are addressing this problem, but with the hostile takeover of Republicans in the House, any Bills brought before congress will probably be shot down, or watered down to the point that they offer little relief.

The following Elected Officials are looking out for us and deserve special mention:

Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) http://www.pascrell.house.gov/
Bernie Sanders (I-VT) http://bernie.house.gov/
Jerrold Nadler (NY-D) http://www.jerrynadler.com/main.cfm
Thomas Lantos (CA-D) http://lantos.house.gov/hor/ca12/home.htm
Rosa Delauro (CT-D) http://www.house.gov/delauro/
Peter DeFazio (OR-D) http://www.house.gov/defazio/
Thomas Tancredo (CO-R) http://www.house.gov/tancredo/

What it all comes down to is; we cannot wait for the necessary legislation to be put into place. New Bills can be approved in whole or part; they may also be vetoed or dragged on for a long time, by then who knows if it would really matter.

Though Corporations thrive on cheap foreign labor through Off Shoring and H1-B Visa workers, their “Bottom Line” is ever so dependent on American’s cash. Do your homework and turn the tables on them.

My own personal project right now is reading up on the history and organization of labor.

Frankly, when I read about the structure of the AFL-CIO I fall asleep it's so convoluted. locals, by-laws seemingly very little "democratic" representation...

TechsUnite.org is affiliated with them and frankly IMHO making the best showing
in terms of organizing white collar people as well as having a strong influence on
congress and getting the message out in general.

The IEEE is pretty damn active in their US public policy, but they are a professional
organization versus doing any sort of employer negotiations,e tc.

Certainly the IEEE is a godsend in terms of lobbying/working with congress...

but to me, the real question is:

With 70% of Americans going balastic when they hear of outsourcing and so forth..
why is it we have no real momentum in terms of organization and political pull?

Why also, is organized labor losing battle after battle and what's wrong with these organizations?

How can the US, which spent decades forming labor organization and gaining strength...crash and burn so badly starting about 1970 and so few Americans
even realizing their contributions and the current peril we are in?

What did Europe do and seemingly very successfully so far mix socialism with
capitalism. What's wrong with the EU also?

I am doing this because I imagine I"m like many college degreed people..
I"m completely clueless on labor organizations, unions and building a movement.

We grew up with the benefits still in place of those hard fought battles that cumulated
with the 1934 new deal legislation as well as the 1965 "great society" social
benefits increases....but our generation is having this social safety net and
structure to support a middle class ripped asunder and we (at least myself)
are clueless on what it took to get it in the 1st place.

When the US returns to 1897 where robber barons ruled the country...how many
have any awareness even on the history of how the middle class obtained
support?

Robert Oak:

I liked reading your post. It tells me there are people who feel the way I do.

I have a college degree too - Computer Science. But, I spent about 3 years or so in the Laborers Union (local 89) before electing to use my GI Bill for college (I am a Vietnam veteran). I worked with concrete and jack hammer, etc. The money was good back then, 1970 - 1973. Most of the Laborers spoke English too.

My father, a World War II veteran, retired after 30 years in the Carpenter’s union. As a kid, I remember the Carpenter's Union Labor Day family picnics. We were not rich, but I don't recall every thinking we were poor.

I remember talk of a 4-day workweek; then came Ronald Reagan.... deregulation of the banking industry and the airlines -- Globalization accelerated.

The USA was no longer a nation; it was now a "Free Market". Well, guess who is paying for it?

Who is it that said, “The American people need to decide if we are going to be a nation or merely a market.”

I think it was Donald Trump who said, “It is not really about the money, it is about winning, and the money is how we keep score.” Well, who is playing? I know who is paying!!

... And so goes my rant.

I would like to say that I believe outsourcing is just a name for importing services. It is all about imports (another way to say exporting the labor -- JOBS).

The king of all imports is oil. Am I right? And the history of America's growing oil dependence is a good map to see where this is heading.

I think the problem we face today has an old definition, it goes like this: "United we stand, divided we fall".

War vs. Security, with the pacifists polarized at one extreme and the hawks at the opposite extreme - and these two are NOT divided along party lines, so the hawks were forced to choose between the pacifist’s hysteria and the Republican militarism.

Atheists vs. Christians and again NOT divided along party lines, so Christians were forced to choose between secular isolation and the Republican evangelists.

Hedonists vs. public decency and this one isn’t really all that difficult to observe. When judges protect “anything goes” definitions of the freedom of speech and press, then where are the rights of those who want a public experience that is free of such human activity? Again, the Republicans promise to “clean it up”, kind of like the wolf offering to help Chicken Little, I think, but when the sky is falling, what are you going to do?

… Where am I going with this? The Republicans are ten steps ahead of the Democrats in the effort to dismantle the USA as a home to ordinary citizens, in order to create a haven for billionaires. The Democrats are not too far behind in this effort. I think the new motto for the Global Economy is: “The country with the most billionaires wins”.

I found a way to keep my sanity, and I think it is a good way to draw attention to the ultimate future that imports and outsourcing will bring. I am focusing my efforts on freeing the USA from oil dependence. If we can’t agree that oil dependence is a serious problem, and what to do about it, then we will never get together on any of these other issues. The OIL DEPENDENCE problem is glaring at us. It has raised its ugly head, shown its teeth and has taken bite after bite out of our collective Ass. Can we stand up to it, or will we “spin” it away, and be content with only going after the symptoms, making more billionaires in the process?

What do you think?

www.AmericanEnergyIndependence.com

Have you read "What's the Matter with Kansas?" It describes some of the techniques
used to get average citizens to vote against their own best interests...



Did you do this site? It's awesome. Dead on.

I personally have been commenting to both representatives and the IEEE in terms
of "retraining" (Ha ha for MS and PhD level engineers) but in this case...true...
if they would put some "zero tax" research dollars credits and government grants
and so forth (really should be on the level of the WWII inititive) and hiring
all of the displaced engineers to work on energy engineering/power engineering/
alternative fuel vehicles and so forth...
it would kill a lot of birds with one stone.

But, hey, that would be insightful and practical! Can't have that one!

Anyway, awesome site. Maybe you can add a forum board to it for articles and comments.

Yes, the American Energy Independence web site is mine. I receive a lot of good feedback on it. I may expand it soon. I have been asked by several people to "do something". Time is a problem.

I agree with your thoughts about an engineering effort to put people to work. I think the Apollo organization is too shortsighted. I believe Dr. Richard Smalley may have nailed it. He gave me permission to reproduce his lecture on the web site, take a look: Our Energy Challenge

Dr. Smalley is proposing a 20-year R&D effort funded by a national sales tax on gasoline. Ten billion dollars per year into research centers created near all major universities. With scholarships for American kids, giving them the money to go to college, encouraging young Americans to commit to the physical sciences and engineering disciplines, specifically for the purpose of solving the energy problem. He calls it "looking for the new oil". The worst thing that can happen is a lot of new technology would be discovered.

Dr. Smalley compares this to when JFK called Americans to the space program. He said he was one of the young men who committed his life to science because he was inspired by JFK's call.

I agree that Dr. Smalley's vision is right for the long-term, but short-term, we can do a lot now. Many of the pages on the web site cover things that can be done now. I would like to see us pay for a new energy infrastructure without forcing future generations to pay billions of dollars in interest payments to foreign investors and international bankers.

See: Zero Interest Financing
Finance American energy independence with interest-free loans.

If American companies want cheap labor, then why are they sending Americans at outrageous salaries to Iraq just to get beheaded? What's the profit motive in that? I don't get it.

You did get. The companies make more than they pay the American's they send to Iraq. If they are paying $200 per hour, they are charging $600 per hour.

If we didn't need the oil, there would be no U.S. Military operations in the Middle East, and there would be no oil money flowing into the hands of the tyrants who finance terrorism.

All that the money grabbing oil companies of BUSH Buddies have to do is:
Turn on all those oil pumps that are sitting idle in OK, TX, CA, KS, etc.
There would be all the oil we need for many years to come.
They do not need to drill more wells in Alaska or anywhere else.
They are just making the war to make more money. <_<

As Citizen4Change said.
Buy American. Buy Companies that do not send jobs overseas. Buy Blue when ever possible.

On shore altenatives.

Choose the Blue

and once this is up and running:

Coadunate

This article should be posted here as well.

http://slate.com/id/2112697/

Many of the people working over there are former military that are recruited for their specialized skills. Many of them go there because it's a job, it pays good, and it's tough to find a job here. Their salaries compensate for the level of danger they face while working there. If they were doing the same thing here, they would not be making as much.

I once raised the concept of a web based "sweet & sour" index. The index value of a product would be based on jobs maintained and created, working conditions, environnemental commitment and socio-economic feedback factors.

This concept has the value of adding up action into concerted effort and displaying up to date results. Even more than lines of action, people need to see the results of their commitment.

Companies that have products listed in "sweet" index would be encouraged to hold on while the others would carry the blame.

Paradigm shift toward economy has left us politically powerless. Political economy is the new paradigm for progressists.

One buck, one vote!

GE Expects Growth From Developing Nations

Updated 4:44 AM ET March 2, 2005

http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...88iom1o0&src=ap

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - General Electric Co. expects 60 percent of its growth to come from developing countries in the next decade, compared to about 20 percent for the past decade, according to the company's annual report.

Business with China should exceed $5 billion this year, while GE is also targeting growing opportunities in Russia, India, eastern Europe, southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America, Jeffrey Immelt, the company's chief executive, said in the report.

Forced Labor Said to Bind 12.3 Million People Around the World New York Times

Soong seeks common prosperity China Daily