Statement from Senator Obama on the dismal August jobs figures:
Today's jobs report is a reminder of what's at stake in this election - John McCain showed last night that he is intent on continuing the economic policies that just this year have caused the American economy to lose 605,000 jobs. John McCain may believe that the fundamentals of our economy are 'strong,' but the working men and women I meet every day are working harder for less, the typical working age family's income is down $2,000 since George Bush took office, and their purchasing power is as low as it's been in a decade. John McCain's answer is more of the same: $200 billion in tax cuts to big corporations and oil companies, and not one dime of tax relief to more than 100 million middle-class families. If I am President, I will cut taxes for 95% of all working families and provide an immediate $50 billion to struggling states so that they don't have to cut back on health care and education and can rebuild roads and schools. That's the change working families need right now," said Senator Barack Obama.
1) Come out strong against offshoring of IT jobs - and propose a real solution.
2) Strongly oppose the outplacement of H-1b and L1 visa holders. In short, offshore outsourcing firms shouldn't be the top sponsors of H-1b visas because those companies (and workers) help offshore jobs. Improve the wage standard for H-1b and L1 visa holders so they aren't undercutting our wages - make it about best and brightest as opposed to the lowest paid. Allow H-1b workers to be on the free job market - stop making them indentured servants and unable to change jobs as the program currently does.
What is more beneficial to his campaign? 2 million IT workers who will vote for him, or money from rich people in silicon valley? I hope he picks us IT workers.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Obama-for-streamlining-H2B-visa-process/358108/"For those who don't know, the H2B visa programme is the programme whereby people with specialised skills, foreign nationals with specialised skills, are supposed to be able to come in and be sponsored by their employer. That's the idea," he said at a campaign event in Duryea, Pennsylvania on Friday.
Noting that there are some "highly specialised" areas meant to be covered under it, the Illinois Senator said: "Let's say, you know, you need a nuclear physicist in a particular area, and you just can't find one. And it turns out there's a guy who is Indian, who fits the bill. And you've gone out and you've tried to recruit people. ... And your business needs this. That's what the H2B visa is supposed to be for."
However, he said, the "problem" is that if employers want "to game the system, they might decide... We'll get a software engineer from India, even though there are a bunch of software engineers here... because we can pay him or her less. And that then undercuts the labour market and wages" in the US.
Obama's remarks were actually in an obvious reference to the H1B visa category in which software engineers would fit into. It is unclear whether the Senator had inadvertently strayed into the realm of H1B visas in the course of making his thoughts on the issue known, but he made it clear he will ensure that the high skilled visas will not be manipulated.
Anyways, it look like Obama has a very progressive view on this. Thank you Senator Obama!
"For those who don't know, the H2B visa programme is the programme whereby people with specialised skills, foreign nationals with specialised skills, are supposed to be able to come in and be sponsored by their employer. That's the idea," he said at a campaign event in Duryea, Pennsylvania on Friday.
The problem is that corporate sponsorship of people amounts to indentured servitude.
Even if you have the most advanced nuclear engineer with a Ph.d, if that engineer is not permitted to work for other companies he or she is at risk to be exploited. No matter where they are on the career ladder, when you don't allow people to compete on the free market for jobs you guarantee that they won't go to where they are of the most value.
Because we have a free market, in theory the company that is willing to pay the most for this engineer will contribute the most to society. We shouldn't be subsidizing companies with indentured workers and violating basic labor rights.