This week, "Sixty Minutes" , offered its viewers an investigative report that has been a long time coming, how US businesses lobby the government for an increase in 'specialized' visas to meet the demand for higher skilled labor. This is not new, the specific Visa program, H-1B, has been around for decades, dedicated to supplying more foreign workers due to the shortage within the American workforce. And even though Congress has been involved little has been done for the plight of American workers.
But, thanks to "Sixty Minutes" the issue is finally receiving the national attention it deserves, showing people dramatically affected first hand, those American workers unceremoniously fired so H-1B visa foreign workers could replace them, a problem that needed to be addressed much earlier than now.
Perhaps, not coincidentally, this comes after our new president, Donald Trump, mentioned in the broadcast, made immigration a keystone in his campaign, not just citing illegal immigration, but also the use of 'legal' immigration that takes away jobs from Americans as the report describes.
If you followed the news closely you may already know Disney, mentioned in the broadcast and a paragon of virtuous business practices, did what many less endearing corporations have also done, require its employees to train their foreign replacements or lose the promised severance payments. (We can only imagine what Walt Disney would have thought of this)
"Sixty Minutes" was right in doing what it has done expertly for so many years, introduce the 'human element', the impact on individuals so its viewers can learn from displaced workers.
But, there were two 'angles' that could have benefited viewers the program omitted.
The first is the continued failure of academia, higher education, for not meeting the demands of American industry. As we look over the landscape of American labor we see no lack of professors, schools administrators, humanities, lawyers, government bureaucrats or even low paying unskilled workers. But, we do see two key industries in dire need for workers not being addressed within our university system that should ensure our country has critical skills in the future. These are medical and IT professionals that has driven the request for more H-1B visas.
Don't universities see the reality of the demands of American industry to meet the needs of the American people? And, if they do, why haven't they produced more doctors and technology professionals?
Here in North Carolina the UNC medical school recently received $1.4 billion to update facilities to increase the number of medical professionals it graduates. As a NC taxpayer I have to ask, "what have the people running the medical school been doing all these years? Did they not see what everyone else already knows, the demand has been growing for decades!" NC taxpayers are now paying for this failure and yet, the same people are running the school, probably fired themselves, and perhaps replaced with foreign administrators!
But, even worse has been what has been going on in Silicon Valley. The H-1B visa option is apparently preferable to training company employees. With all the wealth these corporations have can't they invest in their own workers rather than replace them? In the American auto industry, which has been in dire straights for decades, workers were trained as manufacturing went 'robotic'! So, how unseemly it is to see Silicon Valley corporations, run by billionaires, not do more for their employees.
We can only hope President Trump takes the measures universities and corporations have failed to take, prioritize 'in demand' occupations, perhaps even consider reducing H-1B visas to 'guide' them to work harder to do more rather rely on government.
The second thought I had was the "risk" such corporate behavior could lead to, the re-introduction of organized labor in industries which took measures to keep them out. Don't they understand all their efforts could be for naught to show such disrespect for their workers? Google, Apple and others, may see the threat of organized labor knocking on their doors, as unions leaders may reach into its 'quiver' for the 'arrow' sitting idle for many years and take aim at what is happening to American workers.
Let's hope the "Sixty Minutes" report energizes the American people and politicians to end this disrespect for the American worker.
Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/
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