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Companies lay off thousands, then demand immigration reform for new labor


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2013 Sep 11, 5:41am   37,140 views  158 comments

by zzyzzx   ➕follow (7)   💰tip   ignore  

http://washingtonexaminer.com/companies-lay-off-thousands-then-demand-immigration-reform-for-new-labor/article/2535595

On Tuesday, the chief human resources officers of more than 100 large corporations sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urging quick passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

The officials represent companies with a vast array of business interests: General Electric, The Walt Disney Company, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, McDonald's Corporation, The Wendy's Company, Coca-Cola, The Cheesecake Factory, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon Communications, Hewlett-Packard, General Mills, and many more. All want to see increases in immigration levels for low-skill as well as high-skill workers, in addition to a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants currently in the U.S. illegally.

A new immigration law, the corporate officers say, "would be a long overdue step toward aligning our nation's immigration policies with its workforce needs at all skill levels to ensure U.S. global competitiveness." The officials cite a publication of their trade group, the HR Policy Association, which calls for immigration reform to "address the reality that there is a global war for talent." The way for the United States to win that war for talent, they say, is more immigration.

Of course, the U.S. unemployment rate is at 7.3 percent, with millions of American workers at all skill levels out of work, and millions more so discouraged that they have left the work force altogether. In addition, at the same time the corporate officers seek higher numbers of immigrants, both low-skill and high-skill, many of their companies are laying off thousands of workers.

For example, Hewlett-Packard, whose Executive Vice President for Human Resources Tracy Keogh signed the letter, laid off 29,000 employees in 2012. In August of this year, Cisco Systems, whose Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Kathleen Weslock signed the letter, announced plans to lay off 4,000 — in addition to 8,000 cut in the last two years. United Technologies, whose Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Elizabeth B. Amato signed the letter, announced layoffs of 3,000 this year. American Express, whose Chief Human Resources Officer L. Kevin Cox signed the letter, cut 5,400 jobs this year. Procter & Gamble, whose Chief Human Resources Officer Mark F. Biegger signed the letter, announced plans to cut 5,700 jobs in 2012.

Those are just a few of the layoffs at companies whose officials signed the letter. A few more: T-Mobile announced 2,250 layoffs in 2012. Archer-Daniels-Midland laid off 1,200. Texas Instruments, nearly 2,000. Cigna, 1,300. Verizon sought to cut 1,700 jobs by buyouts and layoffs. Marriott announced "hundreds" of layoffs this year. International Paper has closed plants and laid off dozens. And General Mills, in what the Minneapolis Star-Tribune called a "rare mass layoff," laid off 850 people last year.

There are more still. In all, it's fair to say a large number of the corporate signers of the letter demanding more labor from abroad have actually laid off workers at home in recent years. Together, their actions have a significant effect on the economy. According to a recent Reuters report, U.S. employers announced 50,462 layoffs in August, up 34 percent from the previous month and up 57 percent from August 2012.

"It is difficult to understand how these companies can feel justified in demanding the importation of cheap labor with a straight face at a time when tens of millions of Americans are unemployed," writes the Center for Immigration Studies, which strongly opposes the Senate Gang of Eight bill and similar measures. "The companies claim the bill is an 'opportunity to level the playing field for U.S. employers' but it is more of an effort to level the wages of American citizens."

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148   Dan8267   2013 Sep 14, 6:27am  

As Bap and zzyzzx demonstrate, Fox News watchers are like battered wives who deny that their husbands beat them, and if confronted with indisputable evidence, will say that they must have done something to deserve it.

I got a new theme song for Fox News...

God I feel like hell tonight
The tears of rage I cannot fight
I'd be the last to help you understand
Are you dumb enough to be my man

Nothing's true, and nothing's right
Can't get the facts straight tonight
'Cause you can't change what I perceive
And I don't mind if I'm deceived

Lie to me I promise I'll believe,
but please don't leave.

149   Homeboy   2013 Sep 14, 6:38am  

SoftShell says

Dick jokes are being warehoused here.

http://patrick.net/?p=1229249

Try to keep up....

Dan8267 says

2. You cannot marry a canary under any adopted or proposed marriage equality laws. As for mating with your canary, well, I wouldn't be surprised if you were size-appropriate for that.

Dan certainly likes his dick jokes, doesn't he? Stuff like that never gets old to Dan.

150   Dan8267   2013 Sep 14, 6:51am  

Homeboy says

Dan certainly likes his dick jokes, doesn't he? Stuff like that never gets old to Dan.

Most of homophobia is caused by insecurity in one's own dick.

151   Bap33   2013 Sep 14, 8:27am  

bob2356 says

What sort of welfare comes from the EPA for christ sakes.

um, well, here in mexifornia's central valley, if you have a diesel powered ag pump or generator that is over 74hp and is older than X years, there is a PROGRAM that gives you MONEY towards replacing your old smoggy engines. That money for that engine comes from where?

(I did not mean to put FDA, I meant USDA, but screwed up - I honestly was thinking "food and dairy" for some reason) anyways, USDA has $0 down loans for house buyers here in the central mexifornia valley. And gives free milk to kids in school.

As for the real FDA, it seems they spend your Fed taxes on stuff for others -- kinda: Here is a portion of the story:
""" What does this cost? McKinsey has signed contracts for more than $17 million for work at the FDA since 2008 including $10 million in 2010, according to FedSpending.org. And Feldman's firm has contracts worth $7.9 million, the paper writes.

Helen Winkle, whose office oversees the generic-drug division, tells the paper that going to Antietam was so useful she visited twice. The lesson was about "just trying to get people to understand better how to lead their staff here," she says, although three employees in the division, who requested anonymity, says the seminars didn't contribute to solving specific problems in the division.

As for McKinsey contract, Winkle says the firm found that about half of the 2,000 pending drug applications were still sitting with drugmakers that hadn't responded to FDA questions. But Joe Barton, who is the leading Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is not impressed. "Why on earth are FDA managers spending money for a consultant to tell them why they have a backlog of generic drug applications?" he asks. That's a good question.""""

seems like maybe FDA has some cash to toss around, but I'll keep looking.

152   Bap33   2013 Sep 14, 8:32am  

bob2356 says

By your definition air traffic control and the weather service is welfare.

lol .... you put the straw in strawman on this one. If they are SUBSIDIZED, then you bet, they are welfare supported. But, they provide general services to the masses, not individuals gaining access to goods or services they did not pay for, so, like the farm welfare, it is less crappy.

153   freak80   2013 Sep 14, 9:55am  

Dan8267 says

Fox News watchers are like battered wives who deny that their husbands beat them, and if confronted with indisputable evidence, will say that they must have done something to deserve it.

Replace the word "husbands" with "God" and it sounds a lot like the religion I was raised in.

154   Y   2013 Sep 14, 12:28pm  

So when is defending the original definition of the word 'marriage' by using a canary as an example interpreted as 'spewing anti-homosexual propaganda'?
You are one paranoid SOB....

Dan8267 says

However, instead of taking the discussion into another thread, Shrek decided to start spewing anti-homosexual propaganda in this thread.

155   Y   2013 Sep 14, 12:42pm  

Really? The link you posted talks about marriage between man, woman, and a canary. No mention of homosexual marriage or 'gay war'. Yet you insist on thrusting gayness into the mix. Why is this? Are you feeling left out?

Seriously, go to walmart, cheap eyeglass section, pick out a new pair....Your fog will lift.

Dan8267 says

This thread turned into a "gay war" because Shrek, er Softshell, went off topic

156   Y   2013 Sep 14, 12:45pm  

Please point to the offending phrase that you interpret as "anti-homosexual propaganda". I want to see the origins of paranoia, as well as this fictitious character you call 'shrek'...

Dan8267 says

However, instead of taking the discussion into another thread, Shrek decided to start spewing anti-homosexual propaganda in this thread.

157   Y   2013 Sep 14, 12:47pm  

Reading some of his posts, it was not apparent at first, but i'm starting to see the pattern....

Homeboy says

Dan certainly likes his dick jokes, doesn't he? Stuff like that never gets old to Dan.

158   Y   2013 Sep 14, 12:48pm  

Jesus Christ...can we start talking about the liver for a while???

Dan8267 says

Homeboy says

Dan certainly likes his dick jokes, doesn't he? Stuff like that never gets old to Dan.

Most of homophobia is caused by insecurity in one's own dick.

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