LaborGroups News 28Jan04

www.laborgroups.org/LaborGroupsNews28Jan04.pdf
www.laborgroups.org/LaborGroupsNews28Jan04.doc

1) Overtime Pay Take-Away Imminent.
2) SLAP: Support Striking Grocery Store Workers!
3) Chicago Media Action Emergency Alert: No McChesney Talk Tonight; WBEZ and DN
4) Don't Shop Randalls, Tom Thumb, Kroger, Smith's or Albertsons
5) It's About Free Speech
6) So. Florida JwJ: Kidcare press conference tomorrow/Support Laborers on Thurs.
7) Join a national Day of Action to support grocery workers & save affordable health care!
8) Mexico Solidarity Network
9) Rob Sanchez's JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
10) Rep. Evans Unity Dinner Special guest
11) CSC lands Texas prison contract/Via Dwight Rawlinson
12) Join Dennis Kucinich live via satellite
13) SafetyOnline
14) TV Alert: DNC Chairman McAuliffe on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC today
15) Judge rejects slavery reparations lawsuit
16) Patriot Act Unconstitutional
17) How City Treasures Get Privatized
18) CLG News
19) TruthOut
20) TradeAlert
21) Carolyn Kay's "Make Them Accountable"
22) New HRW report

------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Overtime Pay Take-Away Imminent.

Strong-armed by President Bush, members of the U.S. Senate last
week backed off a filibuster against this year's government
spending bill they were holding up because it failed to block
the Bush overtime pay take-away. Bush had threatened to veto the
bill if it included an overtime pay protection guarantee for
America's workers, even though both houses of Congress voted to
block the overtime pay cuts in earlier votes. The Bush Labor
Department is expected to announce an implementation date for
the overtime pay take-away before March 1.
We CAN win protection for overtime pay and good jobs if your
voice is amplified by the voices of millions of other Americans.
So today we're asking you to bring more people into the fight to
protect overtime pay. We're ramping up the Petition to Save
Overtime Pay with a new push to collect signatures and ask new
people to join this fight. Please click on the link below to
sign the petition if you have not yet signed it.
www.saveovertimepay.org/

One fantastic way to find new people to speak out for overtime
pay is to ask them personally, face-to-face. Please take one
minute right now to click on the link below and download a
printable petition form to circulate in your workplace or
community.
www.unionvoice.org/ct/udad1a51Z1br/

So far, more than 300,000 Americans have signed the petition
online or through a downloadable petition form. We're tracking
the number of petition signers by state and we're setting
state-specific goals to triple the number of signers we have
right now. So we're asking you to triple your efforts, too.
Click below for the current number of signers in each state and
your state's goal.
www.unionvoice.org/ct/u1ad1a51Z1b4/

Imagine if everybody in this network recruited 30 new petition
signers. Tens of millions of Americans would be a part of this
fight-and we'd win.
Here are some ideas to get out the word:

+ Download the petition form and collect signatures in your
workplace, in your community or wherever people gather. Return
completed forms to us.

+ Forward this e-mail to everybody in your e-mail address book.

+ Include a link to the Save Overtime Pay website at
www.saveovertimepay.org/ in all of your e-mails.

Please do your part to build this campaign and make a real
difference. Together, we can protect overtime pay and good jobs
from President Bush's assault. Millions of Americans may lose
overtime pay and protections.

Background information on the Bush overtime pay take-away.
www.unionvoice.org/ct/7pad1a51Z1bX/

We'll send you updates on the progress of the petition campaign
and alerts about any new developments.

Thanks for all you do. Let's really get the word out!

Onward,

Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
Jan. 27, 2004

P.S. Our next alert will be about the outrageous attack on the
overtime pay of military veterans. Look for more on that soon.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) SLAP: Support Striking Grocery Store Workers!

More than 75,000 brave workers in Southern California spent the
holiday season on the picket line to stand up to corporate
greed. For months, these workers have been holding the line for
affordable health care against the Safeway-led charge to take
away health benefits from workers, students, and their families.
They are on strike or locked out by their employers, including
Safeway-owned Vons, Kroger-owned Ralphs, and Albertsons. These
workers and their families urgently need support from students
across the country, so we are organizing a NATIONAL STUDENT
LABOR DAY OF ACTION on Thursday, February 5th.

Even though operating profits for the grocery chains have risen
over 10 times faster than their contributions to worker health
care in Southern California, employers are demanding the workers
accept what amounts to a 75% cut in health coverage for new
workers and a 50% cut for current employees. Like employers
across America, they are trying to boost their profits at the
expense of workers and their families.
Stephen Burd, the CEO of Safeway, has been the driving force
behind the company's resistance to negotiate a fair contract. He
has even characterized the employers' attempt to hold down labor
costs--forcing a strike--as "an investment in our future."
Meanwhile, Burd cashed out over $5 million in Safeway stock
right before talks broke down and the stock lost value. Students
will not stand for this!
These workers are on strike for all workers (union and
non-union) here and across the country, because they know that
if these three supersize, super-profitable, supermarket chains
can cut benefits in California, then every worker and student is
at risk. That is why we will unite with these workers in calling
for a NATIONAL STUDENT LABOR DAY OF ACTION on Thursday, February
5th.

SO, TAKE ACTION NOW!

Pledge not shop at any Safeway-owned stores and organize a
solidarity action in support of striking grocery store workers!
You can do guerilla theater, a balloon release, demand a meeting
with managers, leafletting, etc. Contact us for a packet of
organizing materials.

In Solidarity,

Ana Rizo, National Coordinator, SLAP, 202-434-9512/ana (at) jwj.org

Ben McKean, National Organizer, USAS, 202NOSWEAT/ben (at) usasnet.org

Shabatayah Andrich, AFL-CIO, 202-508-6989/sandrich (at) aflcio.org

NOTE: If you are in California, you can start by organizing
caravan delegations to a massive march and rally beginning at
the Great Western Forum on Saturday, January 31st at NOON! The
address is: 3900 W. Manchester Blvd in Inglewood, California.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Chicago Media Action Emergency Alert: No McChesney Talk Tonight; WBEZ and DN

CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION EMERGENCY ALERT, January 27, 2004
www.chicagomediaaction.org

We have some bad news and some possible good news.

First the bad news: Robert McChesney, author of "Rich Media, Poor Democracy" and a leader in the media reform movement, was scheduled to give a talk in Naperville this evening, January 27.
We've received the unfortunate news that Robert McChesney has been snowed in downstate, and will not be arriving as scheduled. As a result, the talk he was scheduled to give this evening has been cancelled. (The talk will hopefully be rescheduled sometime in the spring. We will of course pass along word of details of the rescheduling when we learn about them.)

Please notify anyone who was planning to attend.

Now the possible good news: A campaign is underway to encourage WBEZ (Chicago's main NPR affiliate) to air the radio news program Democracy Now! in Chicago. A decision as to whether WBEZ will air Democracy Now! will be made before the month of January is out, so be sure to act quickly. More details are below.

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Pete Caithamer is working to get Democracy Now! on the air. He needs our help.

Democracy Now! is a daily one-hour news show which actually covers the news without the spin factor. (You can learn more about Democracy Now! at www.democracynow.org and listen to any show aired since its inception in 1996 at its archives.)
Peter has asked WBEZ, an NPR affiliate in Chicago, to pick up the show. Ron Jones, the News Manager at WBEZ, will be making a decision on Peter's request within the next few days. We need to call him and ask him to put Democracy Now! on WBEZ and in a prime time slot!

You can reach Mr. Jones directly at (312) 948-4647.
Mr. Caithamer is suggesting that volunteers in Dupage county might want to call Mary Pat Larue (630) 942-3708 at WDCB, an NPR affiliate located at the College of DuPage and request that they start airing Democracy Now!

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

This is an email from Chicago Media Action, a Chicago activist
group devoted to media issues.

Chicago Media Action, P.O. Box 14140, Chicago IL 60614-0140 Call toll-free: 1-866-260-7198 Web: www.chicagomediaaction.org
email: cma (at) chicagomediaaction.org


------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Don't Shop Randalls, Tom Thumb, Kroger, Smith's or Albertsons

Since mid-October, 70,000 grocery workers have courageously kept
up the picket lines in Southern California. These brave workers
are holding the line for health care and good jobs in the face
of stubborn employer greed. The stand they have taken is not
just for their own families, but for all families, at a time
when too many employers are shredding the standards for decent
benefits we worked long and hard to build. They're on strike or
have been locked out by their employers, including Kroger-owned
Ralphs, Safeway-owned Vons and Albertsons for nearly four months
now.
That is a very long time for these workers and their families to
go without their regular paycheck or health care coverage. They
need your help.
REQUESTED ACTION
Normally we'd ask you to click on a link to help. Today we need
something different. We're asking you to change your everyday
routine and not shop at Randalls, Tom Thumb, Kroger, Smith's or
Albertsons stores during the strike. The striking grocery
workers are asking you to do this because the companies that own
these stores are stubbornly refusing to negotiate a reasonable
contract. We all need to vote with our shopping choices and tell
these giant grocery corporations that their actions are
unacceptable and we will not support them with our business.

Please don't shop at Randalls, Tom Thumb, Kroger, Smith's or
Albertsons and help get the word out by forwarding this e-mail
to your friends, family and co-workers.
These workers feel their struggle is essential to the well-being
and future of their families. Maria Lopez, a five-year employee
of one of the grocery stores, had this to say about the strike.
"I've been out there [on the picket line] for 40 hours a week
because I'm fighting for my health benefits. There are a lot of
moms on the line. We are afraid to lose our jobs with this
strike but more afraid to lose our health benefits if the
company gets its way. If one of my kids gets really sick and I
couldn't afford the insurance, I wouldn't know what to do."

By clicking on the link below you also can donate to a special
strike fund set up to help these workers. Some workers are in
dire straits-especially if somebody in the family is sick.
secure.ga3.org/08/holdtheline

Why is this strike so important? The grocery chains are
demanding the workers accept what amounts to a 75 percent cut in
health coverage for new workers and a 50 percent cut for current
employees. Like too many employers across America, they are
trying to boost their profits at the expense of workers and
their families. If the grocery chains win, we'll all have a
harder time holding on to health care benefits. The workers must
win.

Learn more about the grocery strike on the AFL-CIO website by
clicking on the link below.
www.unionvoice.org/ct/Wpq73WY1Dd5a/

Visit the website of the United Food and Commercial Workers.
www.ufcw.org/

Thanks for all you do. Let's show 'em what solidarity looks
like.

In Solidarity,

Working Families e-Activist Network
Jan. 26, 2004


------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) It's About Free Speech

Over the last four days, something incredible has happened. CBS has received over 340,000 emails and phone calls asking it to stop its censorship. Clearly a huge number of us believe that CBS's refusal to run our Voter Fund ad, while allowing the Bush White House to run an advocacy ad of its own, is just plain wrong.

Columnists and editorial pages are writing about it. And on Monday, FCC commissioner Michael Copps issued a statement on it. These folks understand that this issue isn't just about our Voter Fund's ad -- an ad by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was censored as well. At heart, it's about free speech. Huge companies like CBS that control access to the publicly owned airwaves have to air opposing points of view.

CBS still refuses to run "Child's Pay." But together, we can increase the pressure on CBS. And through the power of the Internet, we can make sure that millions of people see the ad and learn about the controversy. As a first step, forward this email or the original message attached below to your friends. Ask them to check out the ad at:
www.moveon.org/cbs/ad/


They can also send an email to CBS and join the campaign at that address. If you haven't joined the campaign yet, you can sign the petition there as well.

Next, consider taking a moment to call CBS and let them know why you believe their refusal to run ads like this one is wrong. If you call, please be calm and polite -- it's not the folks who answer the phones' fault that CBS made this decision. You can reach them at:

CBS Comment Line
(212) 975-4321

(We're spreading out the calls across a number of relevant CBS numbers, so hopefully you won't get a busy signal.)


Finally, you can contribute to the conversation in the nation's editorial pages by writing a letter to the editor. Here are a few tips on writing an effective letter:

- Brevity is the soul of wit.

- The key to publication is to pounce on something specific you've seen in the newspaper -- such as a story on Super Bowl advertising.

- Be sure to include your name and address, and especially your phone number when submitting your letter. Editors need to call you to verify authorship before they can print your letter. They don't print your phone number.

- Your newspaper's letters page should give you an email address or fax number to use, or you can try Congress.org's website:
congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/


Here are a few talking points you can use in your letter:

* It's about free speech. The First Amendment doesn't mean a whole
lot if we're denied access to the airwaves. CBS has a
constitutional obligation to air opposing points of view.

* If the White House can run an ad, other groups should be allowed
to also. CBS will be airing an ad sponsored by the White House on
this year's Super Bowl. Previous ads in this series have implied
that buying drugs funds terrorism -- a much more controversial
claim than the one "Child's Pay" makes.

* CBS just got a huge favor from the White House. Senator John
McCain said that the bill was custom tailored to CBS and Fox,
which have been lobbying heavily to be able to grow larger. MoveOn
and other groups have lobbied against this bill. Now the White
House is allowed to run an ad, and groups like MoveOn Voter Fund
are not.

* What's "controversial"? CBS claims that it has a policy against
running "controversial" issue ads. But the only line in the whole
ad is a fact: President Bush has created a $1 trillion deficit. In
fact, according to numbers released by the non-partisan
Congressional Budget Office yesterday, that number's low.

As you know, this campaign is bigger than one ad. It's about free speech. We're putting the country's media on notice that we're not going to take censorship lying down.

Sincerely,
--Adam, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Laura, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
The MoveOn.org Team
January 27th, 2003


------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) So. Florida JwJ: Kidcare press conference tomorrow/Support Laborers on Thurs.

Human Services Coalition asks your support for a. . .

PRESS CONFERENCE & RALLY FOR KIDCARE!
TOMORROW (WED. JAN 28)

106,000 KIDS ON THE WAITING LIST CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR.
SICK OR HEALTHY KIDS NEED CARE.
IT'S PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH NOT TO COVER THEM NOW.
MEET AT THE ALAMO AT JACKSON. 16TH ST & 12 AVE. 11:00 AM WEDNESDAY
*************************

Also, this request from the Laborers Union. . .

LABORERS INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA

LOCAL UNION No. 800, AFL-CIO

ATTENTION:

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2004

Time: 6:15 pm- 8:15 pm

What: Support Laborers Local 800

Join us in a candlelight vigil in support of Local 800 laborers
at Turnberry Isle Resort & Country Club who are fighting for
their union contract.
Where: Local 800 Hall

2070 NW 7th St., Miami

[Corner of NW 7th St. & 21st Ave. Rear Door- come behind the Gun
Shop to Local 800 entrance.]
See you Thursday!

Thank you for your support!

Call Local #800 for details on Thursday's action.

2070 NW 7th St. Miami, Florida 33125 (305) 643-6140


------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Join a national Day of Action to support grocery workers & save affordable health care!

More than 70,000 workers in Southern California -- many on
strike, most locked out -- have been on the picket line since
October of last year to stand up to the corporate greed of their
employers: Safeway, Safeway-owned Vons, Kroger-owned Ralphs, and
Albertsons. For months, these workers have been holding the line
for affordable health care against this war to take away health
benefits from workers, students, and their families. These
workers and their families urgently need support from students
across the country, so we are organizing a NATIONAL STUDENT
LABOR DAY OF ACTION against these employers on Thursday,
February 5th. Contact us for an organizing packet!

Even though operating profits for the grocery chains have risen
over 10 times faster than their contributions to worker health
care in Southern California, employers are demanding the workers
accept what amounts to a 75% cut in health coverage for new
workers and a 50% cut for current employees. Like employers
across America, they are trying to boost their profits at the
expense of workers and their families.
Students will not stand for this! These workers are on strike
for all workers (union and non-union) here and across the
country, because they know that if these three supersize,
super-profitable, supermarket chains can cut benefits in
California, then every worker and student is at risk. That is
why we will unite with these workers by calling for a NATIONAL
STUDENT LABOR DAY OF ACTION on Thursday, February 5th.
SO, TAKE ACTION NOW!
First, participate in this alert and pledge not to shop at
Ralphs, Vons or Albertsons stores during the strike. This
includes stores like Food 4 Less, Cala/Bell, Foods Co, Super
Saver, Savon, Max Foods and other stores owned by either
Safeway, Kroger or Albertsons.
Then, organize a solidarity action in support of striking
grocery store workers! You can do guerilla theater, a balloon
release, demand a meeting with managers, leafletting, etc.
Contact us for a packet of organizing materials, and PLEASE let
us know if you're planning to take action!

To find the store nearest you, check out the following:
Safeway (Vons, Pavilions, etc):
www.unionvoice.org/ct/wp12wSY1C1gi/safewaystores

Kroger (Ralphs, Cala/Bell, etc):
www.unionvoice.org/ct/wd12wSY1C1gn/krogerstores

Albertsons (Jewel-Osco, SavOn, etc): www.unionvoice.org/ct/w712wSY1C1g8/albertsonsstores/

Finally, by clicking on the link below you also can donate to a
special strike fund set up to help these workers. Some workers
are in dire straits, especially if somebody in the family is
sick. www.unionvoice.org/ct/2112wSY1C1gm/strikefund

In Solidarity,
Ben McKean & Lenore Palladino, USAS 202-NO-SWEAT/organize (at) usasnet.org

Ana R. Rizo, SLAP, 202-434-9512/ana (at) jwj.org
Shaba Andrich, AFL-CIO, 202-508-6989/sandrich (at) aflcio.org
NOTE: If you are in California, you can start by organizing
caravan delegations to a massive march and rally beginning at
the Great Western Forum on Saturday, January 31st at NOON! The
address is: 3900 W. Manchester Blvd in Inglewood, California.

You can take action on this alert either via email (please see
directions below) or via the web at:
www.unionvoice.org/campaign/stopsafeway/
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this
important call for solidarity with grocery workers. Together, we
can win the strike and keep health care affordable!
www.unionvoice.org/campaign/stopsafeway/forward/

We encourage you to take action by February 29, 2004

Help Stop Safeway! Save Affordable Health Care!

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on this
alert by going to the following URL:

www.unionvoice.org/campaign/stopsafeway/


------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) Mexico Solidarity Network

MSN WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS: JANUARY 19-25

MEXICO SOLIDARITY NETWORK
WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS
JANUARY 19-25, 2004

1. AUTHORITIES EVICT CAMPESINOS IN CHIAPAS
2. ARMY BASES IN CHIAPAS DENOUNCED
3. TLALNEPANTLA RESIDENTS CAN'T GO HOME
4. ANOTHER IMMIGRATION PLAN ANNOUNCED
5. UNEMPLOYMENT WORST SINCE 1998
6. RECORD OIL SALES IN 2003
7. BANKS IN MEXICO GETTING RICH WITH LITTLE RISK
8. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (WWW.MEXICOSOLIDARITY.ORG FOR DETAILS)


1. AUTHORITIES EVICT CAMPESINOS IN CHIAPAS
In what appeared to be a coordinated action, state and federal authorities forcibly evicted two groups of campesinos this week involved in land disputes in eastern Chiapas close to the Guatemala border. At least nine families were forcibly removed from Nuevo San Rafael, a Zapatista community located in the Montes Azules bio-reserve. Access to the community requires a two-hour walk through rough jungle and a river crossing that is possible only by boat. Because of this isolation, information has been scarce. Reports on Sunday indicated that members of the navy accompanied by federal environmental authorities may have evicted the community as early as January 19. At least one indigenous leader, Josue Jimenez Cruz, is in custody, and authorities apparently burned all 23 houses in the community. Access to Nuevo San Rafael is currently blocked by armed troops. A Mexico Solidarity Network delegation spent three days in Nuevo San Rafael in August when daily threats of eviction had the community on high alert. Over the past months, federal environmental officials have apparently been negotiating with
community members and succeeded in dividing the community, making the January 19th eviction possible. Stay tuned for an urgent action alert as soon as reliable information becomes available.

Meanwhile, on Friday, 160 campesino families affiliated with the Emiliano Zapata Proletarian Organization (OPEZ) were forcibly evicted from land in the municipality of Suchiate. On Saturday an additional 450 families from OPEZ were forcibly evicted. At least 20 people were injured and about 140 taken into custody in the two operations. As the violent eviction proceeded, state authorities assured "we are taking extra care to guarantee respect for human rights." The dispute in Suchiate dates to January 2001 when members of OPEZ occupied unused but privately held lands.


2. ARMY BASES IN CHIAPAS DENOUNCED
The Junta of God Government in Roberto Barrios, a center of Zapatista resistance, denounced increased military patrols and the establishment of new army outposts in the northern zone of Chiapas. The army established new camps or checkpoints just before the new years celebrations in Francisco Madero, Chancala Zapote and several sites in the municipality of Tila. Even groups that oppose the Zapatistas, including the paramilitary group Paz y Justicia, are calling for the removal of military bases. "We requested the army in our ejido," said Francisco, a leader of Paz y Justicia. "We were 46 members of Paz y Justicia. I helped to build their housing. We brought the boards and roofing. Now we want (the army) to leave. We don't want them here. Now we don't need them."


3. TLALNEPANTLA RESIDENTS CAN'T GO HOME
Hundreds of Tlalnepantla residents were still seeking refuge in mountains or nearby communities this week, and the community remained under siege with state police controlling access. Police invaded this farming community in the state of Morelos last week to dislodge residents who had occupied the mayor's office since November in a dispute between corrupt PRI officials and indigenous groups that use "usos y costumbres (traditions and customs) to select local leaders. For generations the mayor was chosen via a consensus process that involved all the barrios of Tlalnepantla. The chosen mayor would then register as the PRI candidate to fulfill the constitutional requirements for an election. Last year, the chosen mayor registered with the Convergencia, an opposition party. Most community members, apparently convinced that they had already done their civic duty by choosing the mayor via usos y costumbres, failed to vote in the formal election, and the PRI candidate won with about 10% of the vote.

Residents and federal authorities appeared to reach an agreement on Wednesday that would cancel arrest warrants and release 20 residents who were taken into custody last week. But most residents are afraid to return to their homes until authorities end the police occupation. Reports surfaced on Saturday that police were looking for Tlalnepantla residents in Mexico City and other nearby towns, possibly for further arrests. As of Sunday, it appeared that the status quo might last some time as state Governor Sergio Estrada Cajigal (PAN) got married and announced he would be gone for the next ten days on his honeymoon. However, federal authorities still held out the promise of negotiations, possibly starting early next week.

Early in the week Secretary of Governance Santiago Creel was forced to clarify "there is no proof, no information, no evidence" of guerrilla groups in Morelos. In an effort to justify the killing of one Tlalnepantla resident last week by police, the hyper-active Governor Estrada Cajigal announced the presence of guerrilla groups, but he quickly retracted his statements in the face of federal pressure.


4. ANOTHER IMMIGRATION PLAN ANNOUNCED
Not to be outdone by the Bush administration in an election year in which the Latino vote figures to be decisive, two leading Senators announced an immigration reform plan this week that would provide a path to legalization for undocumented workers. The legislation, introduced by Senate minority leader Tom Dashle (D-SD) and Senator Chuck Nagel (R-NE), would provide work permits with a path to citizenship for workers who have been in the US at least five years, can document three years of continuous work, are current in paying taxes, have learned English or taken citizenship classes, and are willing to pay $1,000. There are currently about ten million undocumented workers in the US, with about 60% from Mexico. Recent studies indicate that over 90% are employed, mainly in restaurants, agriculture, seasonal construction, landscaping, food processing and light manufacture. The Nagel-Dashle proposal would also increase funding for the US Border Patrol. The Nagel-Dashle plan is similar to the 1986 immigration reform program that offered "amnesty" for about three million undocumented workers. The 1986 plan reduced undocumented immigration for about three years, but did not offer a permanent solution for workers escaping abject poverty in Latin
America. Genuine immigration reform must begin with a complete review of neoliberal economic policies - including free trade, international debt, and massive subsidies to US corporate agricultural producers - which are the root cause of massive immigration. A recent study by INEGI, Mexico's national statistical office, indicates that about 400,000 undocumented Mexicans have entered the US each year since 2000, and the numbers are likely to increase unless economic reforms can offer opportunities at home. Since Washington largely controls Mexico's macro-economic policy decisions, immigration reform will require coordination on a wide range of bilateral policies.


5. UNEMPLOYMENT WORST SINCE 1998
Unemployment increased to 3.3% in 2003, the highest unemployment rate since 1998, according to INEGI, the federal office of statistics. A person is considered employed if (s)he works at least one hour per week. President Fox, whose office uses a different method of calculating unemployment that results in a lower rate, characterized the unemployment level as "very reasonable," while admitting that he expected more job creation in 2003. Mexico's unemployment figures do not measure under-employment. In a country with no unemployment insurance, official figures underestimate the severity of the economic crisis and are not comparable to unemployment figures in the US.


6. RECORD OIL SALES IN 2003
Pemex, the government petroleum monopoly, announced record sales of US$16.8 billion in 2003, a 28% increase over the previous year, due in part to increased production and in part to higher international prices. A barrel of Mexican crude averaged US$24.78 in 2003, while a year earlier it sold for US$18.35. Mexico exported 1.86 million barrels a day, with 87% destined for the US market. Pemex income provided about a third of the federal budget in 2003.


7. BANKS IN MEXICO GETTING RICH WITH LITTLE RISK
Mexico's banks, almost exclusively in the hands of foreign investors from Spain and the US, are getting rich with very little risk, according to a report by the World Bank. "After a period of consolidation (read foreign purchases), private banks have not extended the level of credit and have opted for investment in the most attractive government bonds," according to the World Bank. Mexico is the only place in the world that offers such extensive benefits to the banking system with relatively little risk.

Meanwhile, the Federal Auditor, Arturo Gonzalez de Aragon, ordered four of Mexico's largest banks, Banamex, Bancomer, Bital and Banorte, to return more
than US$12 billion given to them as part of the 1990s bank bailout program (similar to the savings and loan scandal in the US). Gonzalez de Aragon made the announcement at an unprecedented public meeting with members of Congress, forcing the Fox administration to largely accept the findings without publicly supporting the banks.

8. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (WWW.MEXICOSOLIDARITY.ORG FOR DETAILS)

February 14: Demonstration to demand justice for women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

February 27: Demonstration at YUM, Inc. (owner of Taco Bell) in Louisville, sponsored by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
March 3-5: March to Taco Bell headquarters from Los Angeles to Irvine, sponsored by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

March 3-9, 2004: International Women's Day Delegation to Juarez, Mexico.

March 13-21: Delegation to Chiapas sponsored by the Mexico Solidarity Network and the Chiapas Peace House.

April 2004: Women Confronting Globalization tour: Toronto, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa.

April 24 - May 2: Annual MayDay Delegation to Mexico City and Puebla.

July 25 - August 8: Women's Delegation to Chiapas and Ciudad Juarez.


#############################################################

MSN Summer Women's Delegation to Juarez and Chiapas

Join the Mexico Solidarity Network Summer Women's Solidarity Delegation to Ciudad Juarez and Chiapas, Mexico

Dates: July 26-August 7, 2004
July 26-31: Ciudad Juarez
August 1-7: Chiapas
Join us for one or both weeks!

Information: 415/621-8100
Email: msn (at) mexicosolidarity.org

The Mexico Solidarity Network invites you to join a women's delegation to Ciudad Juarez and Chiapas Mexico this summer. This delegation will examine the impacts that globalization has had on women in Mexico and the leadership role that women play in the movement for social and economic justice. While the delegation will focus on women's issues, it is open to women, men and transgender folks.

Women and their children make up more than 70% of the world's poorest people and are often the first affected by the consequences of globalization. Women are also at the frontlines of the struggle for social justice, economic equality, democracy and fair trade.

Ciudad Juarez
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, is a city caught in corporate globalization's nightmare. Juarez exhibits many of the negative social and economic consequences that many border towns suffer as a result of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Uncontrolled growth, drug trafficking, and maquiladora factories, and poverty level jobs blight the city of Juarez. Hundreds of thousands of people, many young women with full time jobs in the factories, live in shantytowns on the outskirts of the city, without access to clean water or electricity.

During the past decade, over 380 young women have been murdered in a string of unsolved femicides that are largely ignored by the police and local officials. Rather than resolve the crime wave, officials blame victims for dressing provocatively or for being out too late. Half of the victims are factory workers, yet US-owned factory managers deny responsibility for the security of their female employees.
Left with no political allies, women in Juarez organize on their own behalf. This delegation will meet these women and learn about their courageous work.

Chiapas
During the past decade, over a million Mexican campesinos lost their lands. US subsidies for corporate agriculture, free trade agreements (read NAFTA), and monopoly control of international markets are destroying the livelihoods of one-fifth of the Mexican population. Corporate subsidies and free trade allow US corporations to dump corn on the Mexican market at below the cost of production. Monopoly control of international markets forces campesinos to sell their coffee, corn and other agricultural products at below the cost of production. Nearly 20 million Mexcian campesinos depend on small plots of corn and/or coffee for survival. With rapidly declining family incomes, many have no alternative but to migrate to large cities, the northern border or the US in search of work.

Ultimately, dramatic changes in government policies and economic priorities offer the only long-term solution. While we are working to change those policies, fair trade programs offer an important survival alternative for many campesino families. In Chiapas, artisan production by women constitutes one of the main sources of income for indigenous families. This is especially true since the collapse of the international corn and coffee markets, which provided many small farmers with their only sources of income. Artisan production is particularly important for families where the father has died or cannot leave the community to work because of political unrest, such as Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero.

Fair Trade Cooperatives allow women to play a central role in the control and development of local economies. Fair Trade allows community cooperatives to raise money to improve living conditions for their communities, control the production and marketing of products, construct a just economy in which women can be central participants, maintain ancestral knowledge, support sustainable agriculture, and provide much needed funds for community development projects.

Indigenous communities are not only engaged in a struggle for economic survival. Since the Zapatista uprising began on January 1, 1994, (the first day that NAFTA went into effect) the Mexican military and paramilitaries have waged a counter insurgency war against Zapatista and sympathizer communities. Ten years after the uprising, human rights abuses are rampant. But these communities are developing new forms of resistance. The struggle for self-determination has lead to a new movement in which community members who suffer human rights abuses assume control of their own defense. Women are playing leading roles on all fronts in the struggle to build alternatives.

The delegation will:
- Learn about the impact of corporate-centered globalization on women and men in border towns and the rural countryside.
- Meet with women's organizations in Juarez, Chihuahua, and Chiapas to better understand how these organizations function in their political, social and economic context.
- Provide an international presence in Chiapas communities that are under threat of attack by paramilitary groups, putting the paramilitaries on notice that the communities can count on international support.
- Examine the role that women play in the movement for social justice and fair trade. In Chiapas, delegates will meet with women's organizations, women's fair trade cooperatives, and human rights groups.
- Create strategies that strengthen solidarity between people working for social and economic justice on both sides of the US-Mexico divide.

Tentative Schedule:
Ciudad Juarez
July 26: Travel to El Paso, TX. Delegation will travel together to Ciudad Juarez. Dinner/Orrientation.
July 27: Meeting with mothers of the victims and Visit to Casa Amiga (Center for abused women)
July 28:Tour of the neighborhoods where the maquiladora workers live and the places where the bodies of the victims have been dumped. Visit to a Maquiladora. Visit to Cetlac, (a workers organization) July 29: Depart for Chihuahua City. Meet with Women in Black. Meeting with young people (including brothers, sisters, and cousins of the victims) who are organizing to stop the violence and discuss how their lives have been affected by crimes against young women. Meeting with victims family members.
July 30: Visit to Cuernos de la Luna, where some of the bodies of the women have been found.
July 31: Meeting with El Barzon regarding NAFTA and the agricultural crisis. Evening strategizing with delegation participants.
August 1: Depart for Chiapas or home
Participants returning to the US will be driven back to El Paso in time for early afternoon flights. Participants going on to Chiapas will be responsible for flight or bus arrangements from Chihuahua City to Chiapas.

Chiapas
August 1: Travel to San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. Evening orientation and reflection.
August 2-3: Meetings with members of women's organizations and cooperatives, human rights organizations, environmental groups, and economic and political analysts. Background orientation on the current situation in Chiapas.
August 4-6: Travel to threatened autonomous Zapatista communities. Meetings with members of women's cooperatives. Debriefing/reflection.
August 6: Evening strategizing with delegation participants.
August 7: Depart for home.

The cost of the delegation is $350 for the Ciudad Juarez portion of the trip, $450 for the Chiapas portion of the trip or $750 for both weeks. This cost covers in-country ground transportation, some meals, hotels, translation, background materials, and program. Delegates are responsible for their own travel arrangements to El Paso and Chiapas and most meals. We encourage you to use our travel agent for plane reservations: Scott at 800.328.1332.

Scholarships are available for youth of color under the age of 30. You can apply for a scholarship on-line by completing both the scholarship and delegation application.

To reserve a space on the delegation, please complete the application and return it with a $100 deposit to Mexico Solidarity Network, 4834 N. Springfield, Chicago, IL 60625.

Name:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Home phone:

Work phone:

Emergency contact:

Organizational affiliation:

Two References (Name, Phone, E-mail, Organizational Affiliation):

#############################################################
Mexico Solidarity Network www.mexicosolidarity.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------
9) Rob Sanchez's JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

7 Articles About Job Destruction

---------------<<<>>>---------------
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
www.ZaZona.com
---------------<<<>>>---------------

Article 1:
(Link not Available)
The loss of architecture and engineering jobs hasn't been quantified as
well as the loss of computer science jobs. A widely referenced 2003
Forrester Research report projected 473,000 computer science jobs will
leave the U.S. by 2015. However, sources say global competition is
increasing for architecture and engineering firms. Large, international
design/build contractors offshore the most work, architects and
engineers say, but small- and medium-sized firms also use lower-wage
workers to save time and cut costs. Engineers say firms most frequently
offshore engineering on power plants and industrial projects such as
automotive, pulp/paper, food/beverage and manufacturing facilities, but
there's also potential on conventional housing and office buildings.
Engineering and architecture work that commands $80 an hour in the U.S.
might cost $10 to $20 an hour overseas

Article 2:
www.theregister.co.uk/content/31/35084.html
'My job went to India...' t-shirt back in stock
We're pleased to announce to all those readers desperate to get their
hands on our instant classic My job went to India and all I got was
this lousy t-shirt, that said item is now back on the shelves and ready
for immediate dispatch. Which is all very timely, given that the
outsourcing of callcentre jobs to India continues unabated. Still,
you've got to laugh, haven't you? Or maybe not, according to Steve who
posed this email question: er... where is your new pride and joy made exactly?? Harry Mantheakis thinks he can answer that one: I suppose there's a fair chance your 'lost my job to India' t-shirts
are made in India Sorry, Harry, but you're way off the mark. In fact, all of our t-shirts
are made in Indonesia by eight-year-old children working 27-hour days
for a mere $10 per week. It's not much, but it's all they can afford,
as the old joke goes. Boom boom! Upon arrival in the UK, our printers - highly-skilled Albanian gypsies
on day release from the local immigration centre - lovingly handpaint
each and every shirt using a single badger bristle. A single garment
can take up to eleven months to complete, and our enthusiastic artists
welcome the tin of powdered milk they receive for every 100 shirts
successfully bagged and boxed.
Article 3:
www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/01/19/no_jobs/index.html
The no jobs president
Don't believe the Bush administration's hand-wringing over its pathetic
record on employment. The president's backers want a stagnant job
market -- it keeps the help from getting uppity.
Here's the president's speech: "If an American employer is offering a
job that American citizens are not willing to take, we ought to welcome
into our country a person who will fill that job." This program will
permit any employer to admit any worker. From any country. At any time.


Article 4:
www.newswithviews.com/Veon/joan7.htm
THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY AND CHINA'S NEW ROLE IN THE WORLD ECONOMY Now why is China so profitable? It is no secret that their people are
being paid slave labor wages to work in their factories. With 1.4B
people, their slave labor benefits all the countries of the world, thus
undermining economies with higher paid employees that are forced to
downsize, outsource, privatize and reduce wages. China's average wage
is 20% of what is being paid to workers in Malaysia and Taiwan and 10%
of what is being paid to workers in Singapore. Currently there are 200 million Chinese who need to be absorbed into
the global workforce. This equates finding jobs for the entire U.S. or
European workforce!
Article 5:
www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/8164976p-9096517c.html
U.S. overseas payrolls grow
The accelerated trend in offshoring is also an indication of an
economic philosophy that's been developing for decades.
"In the last 20 years, we in the United States have accepted that the
most important job a corporation does is to satisfy its shareholders,"
said Martin Kenney, a professor of human and community development at
the University of California, Davis. Under that philosophy, a firm
would feel compelled to jettison a $75,000-a-year accountant in the
United States for an Indian with equivalent skills who would earn
$12,000 a year, especially when competitors are doing the same thing,
he said.


Article 6:
www.alternet.org/story.html
The Dark Side of the Outsourcing Revolution
Just as the success of H-1B visa workers during the Internet boom led
to an anti-immigrant backlash, the outsourcing revolution faces its own
pushback. As anger builds over claims of lost jobs, American unions
have emerged as aggressive opponents of outsourcing, and their rhetoric
often displays thinly disguised xenophobia. From London, Theresa Law
wrote, "Give me an intelligent, well-educated, polite Indian on the end
of a telephone handling my customer queries, over an ignorant, rude,
unhelpful and unwilling British call handler any day!"

Article 7:
business-times.asia1.com.sg/story/0,4567,106065,00.html
Top White House aide defends outsourcing Call against Bill to prohibit government jobs from being sent overseas.
Contracting jobs overseas is 'simply the latest manifestation of free
trade', a top White House economic aide said in defence of a practice
used by American companies.

**********************************************************************

John Edwards on H-1B/L-1

---------------<<<>>>---------------
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
www.ZaZona.com
---------------<<<>>>---------------

Presidential candidate John Edwards has a webpage with his opinions on
H-1B and L-1 at:
www.johnedwards2004.com/page.asp

Like Dean and Clark, Edwards repeats a mantra that reads just like it
was written by H-1B lobbyist Harris Miller (ITAA). Listed below are
some excerpts from Edwards' website, and statements that Harris Miller
has made in the past. There isn't much difference.

Edwards believes that there is a shortage of high-tech workers. He
claims that the H-1B and L-1 problem can be solved by training
Americans to have more skills, and enforcement of the existing laws.
Since there is no shortage of Americans with high-tech skills, and
since enforcement of flawed laws will yield no benefits, Edwards is
basically saying that he wants H-1B to remain as is.

There are some positives on his webpage, including his desire to
require employers to recruit Americans first (currently employers don't
have to consider Americans). Unfortunately this is a useless measure.
Green card work-visas have always had this requirement and it never
stops companies from favoring foreign workers. All companies have to do
to prove they can't find an American citizen is to run a bogus
newspaper ad.

Political rhetoric aside, Edwards can't escape the fact that he voted
for the 2000 bill to increase H-1B to 195,000. He receives a grade of F
from BetterImmigration. The Edwards voting record is quite dismal:


Voted for a foreign worker bill with no anti-fraud measures in 2000. Sen.Edwards voted for S.2045, the Abraham foreign worker bill to nearly
triple the number of foreign high-tech workers. On the heels of the
release of a GAO report finding no proof of a high-tech worker shortage
and evidence of abuse in the H-1B program, Sen. Edwards voted for this
foreign worker bill that contained no worker protections or anti-fraud
measures. The bill passed the Senate 96-1.

Co-sponsoring bill to create a guestworker-amnesty program for
agricultural workers in 2003-2004 Sen. Edwards is a co-sponsor of S. 1645, the Agricultural Job
Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003. S. 1645 would create a
guestworker program that leads to amnesty for certain agricultural
workers. The potential recipients of the amnesty will be required to
prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that
ended Aug. 31, 2003. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would
have to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.
-----------------------------------------
John Edwards Vs. Harris Miller Comparison
-----------------------------------------

Edwards:
Getting new skills remains critical for all American workers.
Harris Miller:
It is a huge problem we have in this country - not having enough people
with adequate skills and training. Many Americans do not have the
background, education or skills to qualify for these [IT] assignments.

------------------------------------

Edwards:
Stop Abuse in High-Tech Guestworker Programs.
Harris Miller:
As with any complex immigration program, we see some possible areas of
improvement in its administration by the Departments of State and
Homeland Security to insure that legitimate users have access and to
prevent possible abuses,"
------------------------------------
Edwards:
Edwards will eliminate the flagrant abuses in the H-1B and L1 programs
by requiring employers to demonstrate that they could not recruit
American workers and that they pay the prevailing wage.
Harris Miller: The law requires that you pay foreign workers at or
above what comparable U.S. workers make.

------------------------------------

Edwards:
High-tech guestworkers make a real contribution to America's economy
when they do jobs Americans can't do.
Harris Miller:
For every household name, I suggest that there are thousands of other
foreign workers making major contributions to U.S. companies, advancing
the state of technology, increasing our competitive advantage and, by
the way, paying taxes.
------------------------------------

Edwards:
Today, however, companies misuse high-tech guestworker programs to hire
foreign workers who will just work for less.
Harris Miller:
In creating the H1-B program Congress put in place the kind of controls
that prevent employer abuses. In electing to hire a foreign worker, the
employer must pay the higher of two wage rates: either the prevailing
wage in the geographic area or the wage paid to other company employees
performing the same work. Those wages must be posted on the company
premises and the H1-B visa applications themselves are available for
public inspection at the Department of Labor. Not following these rules
is a violation of federal law. ITAA members support the enforcement of
this law for sound business reasons, and, as an Association, we
encourage our members to report violators to the Department of Labor.

====================================

H-1B visas going fast

---------------<<<>>>---------------
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
www.ZaZona.com
---------------<<<>>>---------------

Unemployment of US high-tech workers isn't improving but that doesn't
mean companies aren't hiring. Companies are in a mad rush to hire as
many H-1Bs as they can before they reach the annual visa cap. It's like
a cheap labor garage sale!

In the past, whenever the limit reached it's limit, lobbyists used this
as justification for raising the limit. Let's take a brief look at some
H-1B history:

----- 1997 -----

www.usvisanews.com/memo213.html
1997: The H-1B cap is reached for the first time in mid-August, six
weeks before the start of the next Fiscal Year. 1998: Increased filings and carry-over from 1997 cause the cap to be
reached on May 11, 1998, five months before the start of the next
Fiscal Year. The INS has estimated that if Congress does not act to
increase the cap on H-1B admissions, next year's cap could be reached
by as early as December 31!
RESULT: The visa cap was raised to 115,000 in 1998.

----- 1998 -----

The Wall Street Journal, September 15, 1999
Last June the program reached capacity in record time -- less than
seven months after Congress raised the annual limit to 115,000 from
65,000. At that time, the consensus among lawmakers from both parties
was that there was little likelihood the cap would be raised again
soon.

RESULT: The visa cap was raised to 195,000 in 2000.


So what are bodyshops and US companies going to do if the limit isn't
raised? An article from the India Times provides an answer:

One way Indian companies like Wipro and Infosys --which
win many of these projects -- are beating the H1-B roadblock
is to apply for what is called the L1 visa for short-term consultants, a category on which there is no limit.

I have said many times that L-1 visa holders can avoid paying taxes.
The American press seems reluctant to publicize this, but not the India
Times. Their argument falls apart under scrutiny because they don't
mention the fact that unemployed US citizens don't pay taxes either.

But the upshot of L1 is that the United States is deprived of taxes which the H1-B visa holders pay, not to speak of
their other contributions to the United States when they live here (L1’s do not pay taxes). Tax contributions by the
vast army of H1-B visa holders in the U.S, numbering perhaps
a million, fund the social security system in a big way. Either way, Uncle Sam will be a loser.


Outsourcing is very difficult without H-1B and L-1. They need to bring
in the nonimmigrants to learn our technologies before they can move
overseas. CEOs such as Andy Iyengar, CEO of Sysfour Solutions,
understand the value of H-1Bs when it comes to moving our industries
out of the U.S.

Iyengar says big U.S companies which have contracted work out
to firms in countries like India will be hard hit when the H-1B quota fills up early. ''There will be projects that are
half complete and suddenly they cannot bring in Indian techies.
And they cannot scrap the project midway,'' explained Iyengar.
If they stop outsourcing, their costs go up and they still end
up laying off people.''

There is one other hope for companies that hunger for cheap labor and
easy visas - the Bush guest-worker visa. In the last article, Ed
Frauenheim explains that Bush's proposal might affect high-tech
workers, but he only got part of the picture when he said that nurses
and teachers were mentioned as possible workers covered by the program.
Margaret Spellings, assistant to the president for domestic policy,
specifically mentioned that high-tech workers would be affected. Read
the 1/17/2004 newsletter "How Many Spellings are there for Disaster?"
for details.

------------------------------------

H-1B visas going fast

By Ed Frauenheim

Staff Writer, CNET News.com
ed.frauenheim (at) cnet.com

news.com.com/2100-1022-5147447.html
Story last modified January 26, 2004, 11:50 AM PST
This year's cap of 65,000 H-1B guest-worker visas is already close to
being reached, as employers snap up the controversial visas. Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted notice on
its Web site that in the first quarter of fiscal year 2004, 43,500 H-1B
visas had either been approved or are "pending in the queue for
adjudication."
The federal fiscal year started Oct. 1, 2003. This year's quota for the
visas, which allows skilled foreign workers into the country for up to
6 years, is a drop from the annual limit of 195,000 that was in place
for 2001, 2002 and 2003.
Chris Bentley, a spokesman for USCIS, said the pace of applications is
"somewhat accelerated" from last year, "but not greatly."
Information technology services companies with much of their operations
in India may be among the biggest applicants for the visas, according
to Lakshmi Narayanan, CEO of Cognizant Technology Solutions. Cognizant,
an IT services company, is based in New Jersey, but most of its
employees work in India. "Companies like us are applying like
crazy…to get a greater proportion of the cap," Narayanan said in a
recent interview with CNET News.com.
India-based companies with operations in the United States are
significant users of the H-1B visa program as well as the L-1 visa
program, which allows companies to temporarily bring in employees from
other countries for managerial or executive work, or for work that
entails specialized knowledge.
Indian companies' use of the visa programs has drawn fire amid layoffs
of large numbers of U.S. technology workers in recent years. Critics
also say the visas have fueled the shift of technology work overseas,
another hot-button topic for U.S. programmers.
Besides a lowered visa cap, another change to the law in October was
the expiration of rules affecting so-called "H-1B-dependent employers."
Those rules required companies with a large proportion of H-1B workers
to attest that they sought U.S. workers before applying for another
H-1B visa, among other requirements.
Ron Hira, an H-1B visa critic and a public policy professor at the
Rochester Institute of Technology, has predicted that India-based firms
are likely to apply for H-1B visas in greater numbers with the
elimination of the H-1B dependent category.
Companies pursuing H-1B visas also now can get them more cheaply. A
$1,000 application fee expired in October. Employers now must pay a fee
of $130.
A number of proposals have been made to reform the H-1B and L-1 visa
programs, including legislation from Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.,
and Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn.
Defenders of the visas warn that even more IT work would go offshore if
the visas are eliminated.
The H-1B visa program could be affected or even rendered obsolete by
President George W. Bush's proposal for a new temporary worker program.
A Bush administration official has indicated that the new program would
apply to skilled workers.
The 65,000 cap does not apply to visa extension requests for workers
who are completing their initial three-year stay in the country. H-1B
petitions approved for employment with U.S. universities and nonprofit
research organizations also are not counted against the annual cap.
Last year, a total of 105,000 H-1B applications were approved for
initial employment, with 78,000 counting against the cap, according to
USCIS.
------------------------------------

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow

US sets up H-1B road block for techies
CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2004 09:49:14 PM ]


WASHINGTON: The United States will shut the door on foreign tech
workers - a majority of them from India - early this election year amid
a growing debate on job loss and outsourcing .
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that
this year's cap of 65,000 H-1B guest-worker visas is nearly two-thirds
taken within the first quarter of the fiscal year, which began on
October 1, 2003. Some 43,500 visas have either been approved or are
''pending in the queue for adjudication.''
This means that U.S embassies and consulates across the world will not
be able to issue H-1B visas after February or March, by which time the
full quota would have been reached, till the new fiscal year 2005
begins in October 2004.
This year’s reduced quota of 65,000 is a sharp drop from the annual
limit of 195,000 that was in place for 2001, 2002 and 2003. Critics of
the program forced the administration and the Congress to bring it back
to the pre-2001 quota of 65,000, saying the higher quota was helping
replace American workers with immigrants.
The six-month shut-off period could possibly help dampen criticism of
the Bush administration for the job loss heading into the November
election.
But industry experts say the squeeze will hurt the United States and
American companies more countries such as India, the highest recipient
of H-1B visas. US companies which have already outsourced work to
Indian firms and which need Indian techies for onsite work or
consultations in the U.S will find a roadblock when the H1-B visa is
filled up.
One way Indian companies like Wipro and Infosys --which win many of
these projects -- are beating the H1-B roadblock is to apply for what
is called the L1 visa for short-term consultants, a category on which
there is no limit. Wipro, for instance, had 850 workers in the United
States on H-1B visas as against 1,401 employees on L-1 visas as of
Sept. 30, 2003, according to a filing with the SEC.
But the upshot of L1 is that the United States is deprived of taxes
which the H1-B visa holders pay, not to speak of their other
contributions to the United States when they live here (L1’s do not
pay taxes).
Tax contributions by the vast army of H1-B visa holders in the U.S,
numbering perhaps a million, fund the social security system in a big
way.
''Either way, Uncle Sam will be a loser. This is absolutely the wrong
way to go about protecting the U.S economy,'' says Andy Iyengar, CEO of
Sysfour Solutions, a New Jersey-based IT services company.
Iyengar says big U.S companies which have contracted work out to firms
in countries like India will be hard hit when the H-1B quota fills up
early. ''There will be projects that are half complete and suddenly
they cannot bring in Indian techies. And they cannot scrap the project
midway,'' explained Iyengar. ''If they stop outsourcing, their costs go
up and they still end up laying off people.''

zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5143807.html

------------------------------------

Bush immigration plan could affect techies

By Ed Frauenheim
CNET News.com
January 20, 2004, 12:32 PM PT
URL: zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-5143807.html
Details of President Bush's plan to tackle illegal immigration remain
fuzzy, but the program could create a new way for technology employers
to bring in foreign workers.
If so, the stage will be set for another round of debates about the
practice of temporarily importing guest workers for tech tasks--already
a sore spot for critics of the H-1B and L-1 visa programs.
"Should the Bush proposal be implemented, it would be disastrous for
American programmers, engineers and everyone in the country who can't
make a living on the stock market alone," said John Miano, founder of
software programmer advocacy group the Programmer's Guild.
Bush earlier this month announced his plan for a new temporary worker
program. The program would "match willing foreign workers with willing
U.S. employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs." In a
speech announcing the plan, the president seemed to focus on
less-skilled workers employed in the United States. "We see millions of
hard-working men and women condemned to fear and insecurity in a
massive, undocumented economy," Bush said. "The system is not working."


But in a speech last week at the Cato Institute, an administration
official indicated the program could extend to highly skilled positions
as well. Margaret Spellings, assistant to the president for domestic
policy, said details of the program have yet to be worked out. But she
said the program will be "non-sector specific" and mentioned nurses and
teachers as possible workers covered by the program.
Nursing and teaching are relatively skilled job categories, which
suggests that programmers or other tech professionals could be affected
as well.
Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of
America (ITAA) trade group, said he has heard conflicting messages
about the administration's new temporary worker plan. "It is still not
clear whether the Bush plan will cover all worker categories or
exclusively lower-wage categories for which there are no existing
workable admissions programs," Miller said. "I have heard people from
the administration state both sides, which makes me believe they are
not clear themselves yet."
Miller said he would be surprised if the plan, when it is offered in
detail, includes skilled worker categories. He noted that temporary
employment programs for skilled workers already exist.
Two such programs are the H-1B visa and L-1 visa programs. The
controversial H-1B visa program is designed to let U.S. employers
import highly skilled workers, such as computer programmers, into the
country for a period of up to six years.
The L-1 visa program allows companies to temporarily bring in employees
from other countries for managerial or executive work or work that
entails specialized knowledge. There is no annual cap for the number of
L-1 visas that the government can give out, nor is there a required pay
rate. In the H-1B program, employers are supposed to pay a prevailing
wage.
Both programs have been blamed for making it harder for domestic
techies to find work in a grim job market. India-based companies in
particular have come under scrutiny for making heavy use of temporary
visas and for the way their use of the visas may have accelerated the
shift of tech work abroad--another source of anxiety for U.S.
programmers and engineers.
ITAA's Miller defends the two visa programs, though he said he's heard
concerns that L-1 visas have been given out to individuals without
"spec