Reply #28: Once Again:

[OhioChick]

The H-1B Prevailing Wage is Substantially Below the Median Wage of U.S. Workers

While several bills, such as the "SKIL Act of 2006," aim to nearly double the annual H-1B quota, all such bills provide for the legal displacement of U.S. workers by underpaid foreign workers under a flawed prevailing wage provision. The H-1B "prevailing wage" is a sham that allows employers to pay H-1B workers 25% below market wages while claiming full compliance with the law.

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) July 6, 2006 -- The Programmers Guild, an organization advocating for US-based computer professionals, finds that the prevailing wage protections in pending immigration legislation, such as the "SKIL Bill," authorize corporations to pay foreign tech workers $25,000 below the wage paid to average U.S. workers in the same professions.

The General Accountability Office (GAO) reports that the Department of Labor (DOL) had approved thousands of H-1B applications, in spite of clear prevailing wage violations within the applications. But GAO did not consider whether the prevailing wages themselves were flawed. Had GAO evaluated the DOL's prevailing wages against actual U.S. wages, the number of violations might have exceeded one hundred thousand.

In the Silicon Valley, California region, the median wage in 2004 for the occupation "computer programmer" was $83,500. This median represents the wages for U.S. workers with average skills and experience. But of the 9721 LCAs (Labor Condition Applications) for H-1B computer programmer in the region in fiscal year 2005, 2877 (29%) were for a salary of $57,000 or less, and fully 8193 (84%) paid less than the median wage of $83,500.

Proponents of the H-1B program argue that H-1B workers are the "best and brightest" workers in the world, bringing specialized skills that U.S. workers lack. But if wages are an indication of value, the opposite is true: In Silicon Valley only 16% of H-1B workers are earning at least what an average American programmer earns, and this ratio holds across the U.S.

In Fiscal Year 2005 the Department of Labor certified that H-1B computer programmers in Silicon Valley earning as low as $40,000 per year, and these wages were found to be in compliance with prevailing wage requirements by both the DOL and the GAO.


http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/7/prweb407549.htm



"If the citizens are still making $83,000 a year I'm not going to cry over that"

I don't know of many making 83K a year. Wages have really gone down since bush took office.

"It would be the government against the big corporations."

If you believe that, I have some land in Florida to sell you. Corporations run our Government, if you haven't noticed.

"It amazes me there is such shrill rhetoric on this subject, and how challenging it always upsets people."

You're beginning to spew right wing talking points. McCain wants to hike up that cap....just like you. This is my field, should I lose my job (and there aren't a lot out there)....my children don't eat. Who cares though, right?

"It makes me think you have some personal job misfortune and just want to blame somebody and the H-1Bs seem logical to blame."

Don't pull the race card with me. I have many friends who are now working at Home Depots and the like, as they had to train H1B's to do their jobs. What are YOUR feelings of that practice? You seem to have quite an interest...it shows. I've seen many members call you out on that, but you typically disappear.

"That's why the laws say that foreigners can't work legally for less."

Again, read article above. You keep dodging that article.

I can only fathom your views on our dwindling manufacturing sector and those jobs lost. I guess US citizens should be willing to work for 3 bucks a day as they do around the globe.

When your field begins to get outsourced....you'll be the first one to complain. Oh.....and so it begins.....
TIME: Call my lawyer... in India

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1727726,00.html

Furthermore, I'm surprised you're a Dennis Kucinich fan.

Dennis Kucinich: "Against H1B program, wants to end it" (I guess Dennis knows jack-shit about the subject, right?)

http://www.techcrunch.com/presidential/candidate.php?candidate=26