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To: Les H who wrote (10592)	5/5/2003 11:45:49 AM
From: Les H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

layoffs grew 71 pct story.news.yahoo.com

To: Les H who wrote (10592)	5/7/2003 9:19:53 PM
From: Les H	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 306849

Congress takes on H1-B visas chicagotribune.com In 2001, the dot-com crash sent software entrepreneur Pete Bennett into the bleak Silicon Valley labor market along with hordes of other displaced tech professionals. Among workers competing with Bennett were foreigners allowed into the U.S. under H-1B visas, designed to let American companies hire workers who have unique skills that cannot be found among American job seekers. Bennett, who ended up taking a job selling mortgage loans, thinks the H-1B program did him in. "Every place I sent my resume had an H-1B bidding for the same job," said Bennett, who believes at least two employers that interviewed him had no intention of hiring him or any citizen. "I was there just so they could say they interviewed an American. The recruiter told me the job went to an H-1B. Bennett's experience led him to launch the Web site www.nomoreh1b.com, a place where affected workers can commiserate and get the latest news. He joins a swelling sea of critics who say the H-1B visa program does not restrict foreign workers to specialty occupations with worker shortages as intended, but displaces U.S. workers in favor of cheap foreign labor, driving down wages. As Congress prepares to reauthorize the controversial program for another three years in the fall, foes are calling for safeguards to stop the wholesale replacement of U.S. workers. They also want the annual cap on H-1Bs to return to the 65,000 limit established in 1990. The tech industry successfully lobbied for an expansion to 195,000 in 2000. "It would be ridiculous for Congress to do anything but roll these numbers back because of the state of the economy. A lot of tech workers are suffering," said Michael Gildea, executive director of the Department of Professional Employees, a labor union affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Gildea said the H-1B visa program does not take labor market conditions into account. more at the above link. they always take on a problem well after it's peaked and subsided. my understanding is they're being heavily promoted for nursing and teaching jobs now.