
In Turnabout, Disney Cancels Tech Worker Layoffs - jonburs
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/in-turnabout-disney-cancels-tech-worker-layoffs.html
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learc83
H-1Bs are supposed to be used to fill jobs for which qualified Americans can't
be found, but to get around this, Disney lays off workers and brings in a
consultancy to take over. The consultancy employs the H-1B workers, not
Disney.

There are so many loopholes that it seems like the only solutions are to
either create a well funded agency/department to oversee this, or to increase
the price far enough that H-1Bs are only viable as a last resort.

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bsder
The solution is for H1-B workers to auto-convert to a green card after 12
months. Period. The company has 12 months to complete a security check and has
to fund it itself.

Now, if the company _really_ needs a worker brought in on an H1-B, they will
be very happy and the H1-B queue will continuously clear itself. However, if
all they want is an indentured servant, that will get quashed when the green
card arrives.

Everybody wins--except for companies who abuse the H1-B program. Which is
almost all of them. Which is why you never hear this solution.

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kansface
Won't companies just fire the H1-Bs before the year is up and keep the
treadmill rolling?

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toyg
That might be, but continuous personnel replacement would be hard for both the
abusing company and its customers. Disney wouldn't be so keen to outsource if
they knew all the people they train now will be gone in a few months. It would
also dry up the pool of applicants faster at the other end, especially if
linked with provisions forbidding reapplying for X years.

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6stringmerc
Let me get this straight - just as soon as the Department of Justice opens an
investigation into the two major consultancies, Tata and Infosys, Disney
decides to walk-back its plan of layoffs and replacement?

At the end of the day, I'm sure this will get swept under the rug and nobody
in an Executive position - at any company (Tata, Infosys, Southern Cal Edison,
Fossil, Disney, etc) - will actually face prosecution as an individual for
manipulating / corrupting the system. However, there may be a job or two lost
in shuffling around in order to sign a declaration that "We admit no
wrongdoing and promise not to do it again" which ties up the investigation and
puts a bow on it. Case closed.

Yet another metaphorical example of how the top tier of "business leaders" and
decision makers pander to the top tier of the richest individuals
("investors") and have absolutely no disincentive to continually gutting the
middle class and young generation of US Citizen workers who are ridiculously
underemployed at this time.

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lmg643
This doesn't seem like great reporting - largely unrelated to the Orlando
event that triggered the NYT article.

This worker's blog seemed pretty insightful:
[https://plus.google.com/+KeithBarrett/posts/PWA6BXs7dbS](https://plus.google.com/+KeithBarrett/posts/PWA6BXs7dbS)

Taking his comment about revenue focused technology being developed in that
office, it doesn't seem like it was a smart business move to lose the
experience of the staff they had in place already.

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protomyth
Thinking about it, perhaps some fine Congress Person could add a line to the
H1B regulations that specifically states that an H1B cannot be billed out to
other parties.

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Animats
_" The Labor Department said last week that it had opened an investigation
into two outsourcing companies, Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys..._"
Disney was using both. And suddenly, Disney management decides that maybe
violating labor law isn't such a good idea.

The US has reasonably good labor laws, but weak enforcement and too-small
penalties.

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jamhan
Now if only the Australian government would follow suit and follow through
with investigations of similar practices here. Abuse of "skilled immigration"
457 visas is rampant.

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rbanffy
I am more than a bit shocked. Of course I assumed there would be some abuse of
H1B visas, but I never imagined a company would give the workers being
displaced proof of such abuse.

