Dianne Feinstein, Senator  from California, says that she is an original co-sponsor of ACWIA. 

 
Dear Senator Feinstein:

I lost my job as a direct result of the H1-B visa laws.

I was laid off from Sun Microsystems in October 2001. Sun retained some equally or less qualified H1-B visa holders doing the same job that I lost. I thought the H1-B was supposed to be a temporary work visa to fill a shortage of high-tech workers.

In the case of lay offs, shouldnt companies have to give preference to their American Citizen employees?

I've paid taxes since my first dishwashing job in New Jersey at age 16. I registered for the draft at age 18. I voted for people I believed would protect the interests of Americans. I love this country and have never been prouder to be an American. But now I'm left collecting $230 a week in unemployment checks while H1-B visa holders are doing my job at Sun. My rent is more than $1125 per month. I can no longer afford health insurance for my family. I've even had to visit the local food bank. Excuse me if I sound selfish, but I loved my job. I wouldn't give it up for anything. I feel like I should still be working at Sun and one H1-B visa holder should be heading back to his homeland.

It's like I'm living in a foreign country. I have no union protecting my job. There is no law protecting the jobs of American Citizens in my situation. The H1-B visa laws actually work against us. Most of the people in my apartment complex were not born in the United States. Not many flags went up around here after September 11. I had to personally request that Sun fly the American flag on September 13. They were flying the Sun company flag at half-mast instead. Sun Microsystems obviously doesn't care about the United States or her Citizens.

I think Sun and other companies are abusing the H1-B visa policy at the expense of American Citizens. I also think we need to completely reform the H1-B visa program. The laws have too many loopholes for corporations and no real protections for all the little people. I'm shocked by the current situation. I can't believe what is happening. Here is a link to some comments from other people who have been hurt my the H1-B:

http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/Horror.htm

What is your opinion on this H1-B visa situation?

Can you start some kind of formal investigation of Sun's abuses of the H1-B visa laws?

Can you put pressure on Sun to rehire some Americans and lay off some H1-B's?

What can I do to help protect the jobs of my fellow American Citizens?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[name witheld by request]

 

April 5, 2002

Dear Mr.:

Thank you for taking the time to write to me about H1-B visas and American workers. I appreciate your letter on this important issue and welcome the opportunity to respond.

I was an original co-sponsor of the "American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act" (S. 2045), which former President Clinton signed into law (P.L. 106-313) on October 17, 2000. The law provides a temporary increase in the number of temporary foreign-work visas available to high-tech companies. I was pleased that my amendment to provide additional funds for training programs, academic scholarships, and K-12 education was included in the legislation the President signed into law.

I do not support replacing American workers with foreign- born workers. We are obligated to ensure the American workforce is able to meet the needs of high-tech companies. American companies seeking H-1B visas must meet rigorous labor requirements to participate in the program. To find more information about these requirements please visit the Department of Labor's website at www.dol.gov.

To find information about high-tech training and education programs in California or in other parts of the country, I encourage you to visit the Department of Labor's Employment & Training Administration website at www.doleta.gov or call-toll free 1-877-US-2JOBS for more information.

I believe expanding the H-1B program is just a short-term solution to the shortage of highly skilled workers in the hi-tech industry. We have seen the California economy undergo significant expansion, in large part because of the high tech industry, and I believe we must make every effort to see that the industry has the human resources it needs to continue growing. While I am committed to meeting these needs, I am dedicated to ensuring that Californian and American workers are sufficiently educated, recruited, and trained to get good jobs in the high-tech industry.

Again, thank you for writing. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to call my Washington, DC staff at (202) 224-3841.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
 

11/30/07