

H1-Bs Are Silicon Valley Bailouts and Bad for Everyone - tenpoundhammer
http://impressmyself.co/post/103478791804/h1-bs-are-silicon-valley-bailouts-and-bad-for-everyone

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boz_x
This blog is borderline xenophobic and wrongly assumes that all foreign
workers are poor, desperate and willing to work in poor conditions for low
pay. For a nation built by immigrants, America sometimes seems to have a very
unwelcoming, protectionist attitude.

There are many highly skilled, highly paid immigrants in Silicon Valley who
have made valuable contributions to the industry. Sir Jonathon Ive springs
immediately to mind as one example.

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tenpoundhammer
I responded on my blog but here's a copy:
[http://impressmyself.co/post/103567486669/whats-
xenophobic-a...](http://impressmyself.co/post/103567486669/whats-xenophobic-
about-treating-foreign-workers)

This article was written based on 5 years of experience as a Software Engineer
for two very large companies. During that time, I have worked with many
foreign contract workers, and every single one of them was from India or
China.

A quick anecdote from that experience; two of the foreign workers that I
worked with from India grew up in rural villages. Their families could not
afford a television of their own, neither could any other family in their
village. As a community they owned a single tube television (I can’t remember
the size), they would all gather together in a single building (cafe I think)
to watch soccer games.

While this isn’t mind blowing Somalian starve to death poverty, it is a major
contrast to a US upbringing.

The vast majority of the foreign workers (that I worked with) were all paid
about 1/3 as much as I was. Even if they brought the foreign workers to the US
and paid for their living accommodations those workers made less money than I
did. That’s why they hire them, because they cost a lot less money.

To be clear, I have in the past and I currently do call many foreign contract
workers friends.

If the reader had read to the end of the article, he would see that I am for
foreign workers, if they are guaranteed equal (or Reasonable) pay and equal
rights.

Cherry picking a wealthy white immigrant that holds an executive position is
not representative of the average foreign worker. If you can provide
statistics that show the average foreign worker makes similar pay and works
similar hours as their white counter parts, I would love to entertain your
notion that these people are highly paid and don’t work in poor conditions.

What my experience has taught me is that (primarily) large corporations are
taking advantage of foreign workers to lower wage and facility costs, which
hurts both foreign workers and US workers.

You might retort, why would a foreign worker do something that is bad for
them?

I think it’s their best option, but that doesn’t make it a good one. At this
point I would be happy if the government would just enforce basic rights for
foreign contract workers, even if they have lower pay. They often work far
longer hours than is illegal, but the companies they work for turn their backs
at best and at worst force them into it.

In closing, I’m not sure what’s xenophobic about wanting foreign workers to be
treated with dignity and respect when they work for US companies. But if
that’s xenophobic then put me on Fox News, cause I’m all for dignity, respect,
and worker’s rights, whether they’re from the US or any other country.

In closing, I’m not sure what’s xenophobic about wanting Foreign workers to be
treated with dignity and respect when they work for US companies. But if
that’s xenophobic then put me on Fox News, cause I’m all for dignity, respect,
and workers rights whether they’re from the US or any other country.

