CA takes on utilities use of H1B program

[cabri]

A California backlash rises over foreign IT worker replacements

State lawmakers want to use regulatory power to keep utilities from offshoring jobs, and ask feds for broader investigation

California lawmakers have taken steps to attack the use of foreign labor to replace U.S. workers. One effort seeks to use the state's regulatory powers to prohibit utilities from shifting jobs overseas. Another legislative attack calls on federal agencies to investigate the H-1B program.

Both measures were approved this month by the California State Assembly.

...


One bill prohibits a state-regulated utility from outsourcing any work associated with the "design, engineering and operation" of nuclear, electrical and gas infrastructure, "unless it first obtains the approval" of the state utility regulator.

A VERY GOOD positive step forward.


And the song/dance from SCE

Asked for comment, SCE provided a letter it sent to California lawmakers detailing its opposition to the bill, and broadly said it “impacts hundreds of California businesses that are currently on contract with utilities and jeopardizes supplier diversity.”

How does it jeopardize the diversity unless it is preventing foreign workers from replacing US workers?

Specifically, SCE said that the bill requires a utility to go through a public hearing with state regulators before it can employ a contract worker for work associated with design, engineering and operations. That, it argued, could delay work from several months to two years and bring some utility projects to a stand-still.

So they think that they can not get quality from US workers or locate a US worker that is skilled.

India/H1B is providing workers already properly skilled/trained in the requirements

Who is presently doing the work before the H1Bs are brought on board?

The bill “has the potential to jeopardize the safe, reliable operation of electric service and thousands of California jobs,” SCE told lawmakers. The utility went on to note that the vast majority of its contract workers are in California.

Whose jobs in CA are being threatened if they can not have H1Bs imported?

What type of jobs are the H1Bs able to do that the US workers are not already.

Is SCE expanding their service so fast that they can not get the personnel needed?:whiste:

And now from the peanut gallery

Assemblyman Donald Wagner, (R-Irvine), said the resolution cited SCE without offering proof about what occurred.

"I think it's a really bad form for us to start calling out some of our own employers when we aren't a court and don't take evidence," said Wagner, in an interview. He opposed the resolution.

The California legislation could hurt offshore IT service providers.

SCE is having US employees train the H1Bs that are going to replace them.
Seems like proof to me

“The public utilities market is an important and growing market for a number of the Indian service providers,” said Peter Bendor-Samuel, founder and CEO of Everest Group, an outsourcing consultancy and research group.

For Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro, public utilities “has been consistently one of their fastest growing segments over the last two years.” The importance of this segment is growing as other industry segments slow, he said.

“This bill and the protectionist sentiment underlying it is concerning for the industry,” said Bendor-Samuel.

So the Indian providers want to expand by bringing in the Indian workers.

I have known people that have worked for WiPro and HCL America (Indian controlled agencies).
Very few US workers within the companies and massive attempts to undercut rates.

I have talked with WiPro and then heard nothing from them for 3 months on a potential contract; then they call back wanting to see if I am still interested at a lower rate than talked about.

Same with HCL. Lack of communication with US people.

the US companies know what these Indian companies are doing and turn a blind eye to it; finding legal excuses for such.

It is great for CA to step up to the plate. Now get 10-15 other large states to do the same and the system will be aligned properly based on the original intent.

 

[TheSlamma]

I don't refer to anything as a "step forward" until it's first passed and in action and we've seen all the exploits corporations figure out to get past it.

That being said I do hope something does come of this, I'm especially tired of hearing "the US doesn't have the workers skilled to do this", but as you stated who was doing these jobs before? It's well known that the people doing the job train these H-1B's to replace them and meanwhile we have people coming out of colleges across the nation who can't get those jobs "for some reason" In my back yard we have the Colorado School of Mines and I can promise many of the graduates coming out of there can do these jobs.

 

[cabri]

I don't refer to anything as a "step forward" until it's first passed and in action and we've seen all the exploits corporations figure out to get past it.

That being said I do hope something does come of this, I'm especially tired of hearing "the US doesn't have the workers skilled to do this", but as you stated who was doing these jobs before? It's well known that the people doing the job train these H-1B's to replace them and meanwhile we have people coming out of colleges across the nation who can't get those jobs "for some reason" In my back yard we have the Colorado School of Mines and I can promise many of the graduates coming out of there can do these jobs.

The big white M you can see when coming west on CO-58 :thumbsup: