“Our goal is clearly NOT TO FIND a qualified and interested U.S. worker.”
Link to article
A disturbing video… Immigration attorneys from Cohen & Grigsby explains how they assist employers in running classified ads with the goal of NOT finding any qualified applicants, and the steps they go through to disqualify even the most qualified Americans in order to secure green cards for H-1b workers.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:57 pm
I will bookmark this page and send it to any journalist, pundit or politician who dares spread the mythology of a tech worker labor shortage. How can there be a slabor hortage if immigration lawyers and employers have to go to such lengths to avoid hiring “qualified and interested” Americans?
I’m also going to send this link to my US Representative and US Senators and ask them why this behavior is not considered criminally fraudulent and does not signify that there is institutionalized bias against Americans in hiring.
June 21st, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Unfortunately I am deaf and could not hear the speech.
But I have suspected for a long time that ads are designed to not find an American applicant who is qualified.
They will often list bout 12 different criteria that any one person would never meet.
Then they lament that they “cannot find anyone,” and non of our idiot politicians ever ask them what they went looking for.
Most of the people in office represent the “cheap labor lobby” and have no interest in a solid middle class.
I have decided to run for public office having been fed up with the major parties.
http://www.libertyforamerica.com/wmlp/candidates/Underwood/council_en/council.htm
June 28th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
MORE ABOUT H-1Bs…
I have been unemployed for more than seven months, a casualty of the music business, a currently disintegrating industry. I thought I would find another job, but employers aren’t anxious to hire me. They don’t seem to be able to connect my skills — communication, organization and computer skills, etc. – as well as experience in the music business, to a different field. In addition, my resume is deep, and that means paying a fair salary. It is so depressing. When I get an interview, the words “over qualified” are nearly always the end result. However, that’s not the story that I want to relate.
A couple of months ago, an attorney here in New York City, “tried me out” as a receptionist. I have office experience, and have answered phones, etc., at most places I have worked. The attorney, Keshab Raj Seadie, attended the University of Nebraska, like I did. And, that seemed to be the connection for him. I was his “Nebraska friend.” The job only paid “25,000,” which I protested. First, the job called for a 42.5 hour week, and in addition, this is New York City, where nothing is cheap except wages. Desperation forced me to take the job.
The morning I arrived to begin work, no one knew I was coming. The office manager, Samir Patel, told me I had “one day to prove myself.” I looked at him, and I asked, “You are kidding, aren’t you?” He was not kidding. I didn’t clock in, and no one gave me any papers to fill out in order to claim exemptions, or to prove I was a citizen. At noon, I insisted on clocking out in order to take my lunch break. Mr. Patel didn’t really want to give me a card, but he did. He wrote me in at 9:30, although I began work at 9:15 AM. Each day that I worked in the office, I answered anywhere from 200 to 310 phone calls, all from men and women who were either already in the United States, or wanted to come here. I also tracked FedEx packages, entered data into Excel spreadsheets and opened the mail, which came into the office in enormous bags.
Keshab Raj Seadie is an immigration attorney, and he is from India, as are 99% of his clients. I worked for the law office for exactly two weeks, after which Keshab Seadie let me go. Although one of my qualifications was having a good command of the English language, as required in the job description, I was let go, after exactly two weeks, because I don’t speak Indian.
I have never been forced to lie so much in my life. As you can imagine, some of their clients were desperate and confused by the process of immigration. The attorneys were always out, even if they were in the office. I must have lied to clients at least 150 times per day. Mentally, it took an enormous toll on me. There were no breaks, nor was there time to even get a drink of water or to go to the bathroom. On my second morning, I was about 15 minutes early, and Mr. Patel told me to go ahead and clock in. He said that the minutes would “compensate when I was late.” I told him that I didn’t plan on being late. That’s not my modus operandi.
During the two short weeks that I worked in the office, hundreds of H-1B’s came back into the office, all rejected by random computer selection. Of course, there were countless applications that were accepted, too, as well as RFE’s, (requests for evidence) demanding specific evidence about clients. I learned a lot within the two weeks, and the experience altered my views on the entire issue of immigration. I am absolutely convinced, now, that immigration pushes our wages down, not just in the IT sector, but in construction, and in other fields, too. Now, the issue is forever present in the front of my mind, and I am very disturbed by what happened to me.
On my last day of work, Keshab Seadie called me into his office, and gave me the news that he was letting me go. Remember, I had never filled out any of the federal tax forms. Mr. Seadie handed me an envelope with cash. I was puzzled, and caught off guard as he hustled me out the door. Later, when I counted the money, I was $160 short of what he had told me I would be paid. If the salary was $25,000 per year, for an 8 1/2 hour day, adding up to a 42.5 hour week, I was owed $480 per week, or $960, not $800 for the two weeks. Of course, there’s the issue that I worked an additional 15 minutes per day for no pay, which adds up to a 43.75 hour week. I feel as if I am not living in America. I have worked in middle and upper level management jobs and I hired and fired. That was not the way any of my employers did business. Where is the labor department on these issues?
I am no longer comforted by the fact that so many professional Americans are out of work. Instead, I am angry. At first, I thought that something was wrong with me when I couldn’t find a job. Then, I began to read stories written by other unemployed professional people. For the most part, I think businesses want cheap labor, and they really don’t care about anything but the bottom line. Social justice and labor laws seem to be a thing of the past.
I saw, for myself, the number of H-1Bs that go through one little office. I just wish that Congress would take steps to help their own constituents. I was glad to read that Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley have initiated some legislation, but our system is geared to special interests. Can anyone really propel any change?
Another issue that I want to share is that when the H-1B’s are filed, cooks become chefs, etc., because they have a better chance of being allowed into the country. Keshab Seadie had people out in the NY community who brought him clients, and he has a website, http://www.greencardmaker.com, where he promises consultations by e-mail or phone. When the potential clients call, he almost never takes their calls, nor does he answer e-mails as promised on the website. I dealt with countless angry individuals, and I don’t blame them for being angry. They end up in the office paying consultation fees of $100 or $150, and maybe more. One client demanded a receipt, and Keshab, himself, wrote a receipt out by hand on a piece of scratch paper. This all made me feel rather uneasy. Of course, look at the way he paid me. It goes hand-in-hand, doesn’t it?
I also dealt with countless companies that funnel people into this country. I had no knowledge of this aspect of the business until I answered phones in that office. There was Diaspark, Dynasoft, Clerysys, and countless others who are bringing immigrants in on H-1B visas to work in various companies. I was astonished at how many immigrants were sent into the Midwest. It just seemed like a racket to me. It was certainly big business and everyone was very aggressive. These companies have websites, and they actively advertise for employees. Yet, the websites are also very vague and it is difficult to figure out just exactly what they do. Do they hire Americans? Or do they limit themselves to their own countries of origin? I’m just curious. Hundred of the people who went through Keshab Seadie’s office in those two weeks came through these companies. No one I know has any knowledge of any of this. My friends looked at me completely dumbfounded. Maybe, the public needs to be educated. This issue is so complex, and it affects all of our lives.
Some of you may have experienced similar treatment. For me, it was a whole new slant on the issue of immigration. I don’t like to see anyone mistreated. However, I need a job, but even the cashier jobs, here in NYC, are all being done by immigrants, Hispanic and Indians. I have applied, and they don’t hire me.
Susan Berlowitz
June 30th, 2007 at 5:54 am
Suggested reading:
http://www.eng-i.com/EGG.html
and this video should be sent to ALL members on Congress! Why aren’t they protecting American workers, American citizens? Too busy pandering to special interests, cheap labor lobby, immigration lawyers!!!!
Follow the Money
FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!
July 1st, 2007 at 7:39 pm
I think Susan needs an attorney.
It is politically incorrect, but some of the Indians need to be taught a US litigation lesson. They are accustomed to getting away with things.
I have to use a TTY because of a hearing loss. All of the people who have hung up on me have Indian names. I would sue them except that I could not find them later. I suspect that their employer ( personnel agencies ) are listing to the call and realize that the person has become a liability, so they get rid of him.
But in Susan’s case the person has a license to practice law. Lying and dishonesty may be grounds for disbarment. I would name an amount, give him 2 hours to pay it or file suite and attempt to get him disbarred.
July 3rd, 2007 at 12:53 pm
I contacted both of my senators, Clinton and Schumer, immediately, but neither of them have contacted me. So much for Hillary’s willingness to have an honest dialogue with her constituents, as per her website. Oh, yes, I almost forgot…every day I sat at the desk, I had to look at a big framed photograph of Keshab Raj Seadie and President Clinton schmoozing.
Robert, I have thought about contacting an attorney. I have no idea, though, who to contact in New York City. After the 4th, I’ll look into it.
Thanks for the support.
July 3rd, 2007 at 6:41 pm
I hate to be politically incorrect but I agree with Robert. I just finished working for an Indian run company and they would often pay “under the table” and incorrect amounts. Their job ads are full of promised benefits that they don’t actually give and they don’t pay any of their current employees a decent wage. I also noticed underhanded sexism in the way they treated female employees versus male employees. A very disheartening and discouraging experience all around.
July 5th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Ann, two or three weeks ago, I connected with a website when I was researching — Bright Future Jobs — and they are actively working on legislation about this issue. The people involved have been very interested in what I learned working inside the law firm. The website is:
http://www.brightfuturejobs.org
Next month, there are holding hearings concerning this issue in Cook County, Illinois.
July 8th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Thanks for the link, Susan. Good to see a resource out there.
July 11th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Ann,
I talked to Donna Conway, who is the organizer for the website, and she is very interested in your experiences. Her contact info is on the website.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Oops! I meant to write Donna Conroy, not Donna Conway. Sorry, Ann. I hope the information is helpful.
http://www.brightfuturejobs.org
July 18th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I am also one of the green card seeker from keshab’s office and I do not get any response from their office so as my freinds
July 26th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Ann, I wanted you to know that you made me think about the women in Keshab Seadie’s office. They were the workhorses, that is for sure. I meant to put this reply up sooner, but I haven’t had any time. Similar to your experience, the time I spent working at the law firm was very discouraging for me.
Susan,
Can you tell me more about your experience applying for a green card? I am so sorry that you aren’t having a positive experience.
July 29th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
It has long been my opinion that the ads in any medium are not true. Indeed, in a college class I was told that about a quarter of the ads are for jobs that exist; the rest are HR persons seeking a collection of resumes for their future work or to find out what sort of person is available for possible future job openings.
The hiring of non-citizens must pay off for the companies. I assume the non-citizen employees are paid less, but is there some sort of Federal tax break for companies that hire non-citizens?
Why is this permitted? Can this be made an election issue?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
The hiring of non-citizens pays off in several ways. First they do not have top pay them as much. They have a different mindset. My grandfather ( English ) used to criticize other immigrants saying ,”they live like animals s they can send all their money back to the old country.” They other is that many from other countries have no concept of personal liberty nor rights. They never had any, and they do not demand any. They come for money, not liberty. So we have the Indian whose ancestors wanted independence from Britain discriminating against women and hanging up on the rely service for deaf people. If you bring in enough people who do not value working people’s rights, we will soon have no rights for working people. Illegal immigrants are even better because the employer can always threaten to get them deported.
It can be made an election issue if people work hard to make it one. First of all we have to stop thinking of elections as something that happens for president every 4 years. We also have to stop thinking in terms of Democrats and Republicans and look for other parties.
I am running in an election myself. I cannot get to the presidential candidates, nor the US Senate Candidates. But I can make life miserable for their underlings running for the City Council in Springfield Massachusetts. I will accuse them of de-industrializing Springfield and the United States. They may deny it, but in the end the will support Senators Kennedy and Kerry who did in fact support such policies. I will point out that they will also support the Democratic Presidential Candidate for President even though they do not know who it will be yet. I wil then say that they all supported de-industrialization.
I f you want to make an issue of it you will need a stage. The best and cheapest stage is running for office. You will get some amount of media coverage just because you are running for office. In the past I have been interviewed by papers, appeared on radio talk shows, and television, just because I was a candidate for public office. I can then put in a plug for my web site
http://www.pvla.net where I can say just about anything that I want. I got a copy of the city voting list, just because I am a candidate for the City Council. I then have a reason to go door to door collecting signatures, and spreading my message. I could to that anyway, but they what should the people do? Just complain? No, they can vote for me, and they can come t our meetings. No incumbent will admit it, but if I get a sizeable number of votes, it will bother them. When I run for State Representative, the district spans two cities, so I can get voting lists from both of them.
In short, yes you can make it an issue. But you should think of making it an issue yourself and not waiting for someone else to do it for you. Also, election time begins the day after the last election.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:53 am
I would love to make this more of an issue, organize, etc. I spoke with Stanley Aronowitz (author of The Last Good Job In America), and he sees our plight as a very important issue.
After nine months, I remain unemployed, with no options. BTW, when I worked for the Democrats, for two weeks in December, 2006, I was out on the streets in various Manhattan neighborhoods, talking to people. Each day, I spoke to at least five unemployed professionals, some of whom (men and women) broke down, tears streaming down their faces, as they related their stories to me. I felt that the least I could do was listen. Until that time, I had no idea that so many professionals, in so many different fields, couldn’t find jobs. The people I spoke to looked like me. My field is music and the entire industry is disintegrating, but I thought my experience and my skills could transfer to other fields. I ws wrong about that. During my canvassing days, I spoke to accountants, social workers, etc. I talked to countless New Yorkers, but I also spoke to unemployed people from Ohio, California, Washington, Florida, New Jersey, etc. Quite frankly, I was stunned by my discovery. No one at Grassroots Campaigns, the organization that had been hired to raise money for Howard Dean’s 50-State Plan, and had, in turn, hired me, were interested in my discovery, either.
I contacted the Nation Magazine, the Progressive, etc., and no one was interested in the story. The Progressive labeled my letter to them an editorial. I thought the issue was worth investigating, but no one cared. So, I am not as thrilled with the liberal and progressive press as I once was. I kept a diary of those two weeks. I used names, whenever I could. Still, they saw my letter as an editorial and not as a story. Quite frankly, I would have been pleased if they had dug in and done their own investigating on the issue, but they didn’t.
Through my research and reading, I connected with Barbara Ehrenreich, and I shared the info with her. I joined UP, but so far, I don’t feel as if I am really invested in any real way, other than I paid money to belong, and seven months later, I still don’t feel that there is a real direction. Then, I found Bright Future Jobs in Chicago, which seems to be doing more than any other organization to get to the bottom of things. The co-founders, Donna Conroy and Mike Rothschild, recently, debated a couple of CEO/lobbyists in their Congresswoman’s office, and Donna has been to Washington, D.C. several times lobbying for change. Because of their work, they have been able to convince Dick Durbin that there is a real problem for Americans seeking work. Thus, Charles Grassley and Dick Durbin drafted the abuse/fraud prevention act of 2007 in order to close some loopholes in the laws governing the hiring practices of corporations and other businesses. Donna and Mike discovered that “Americans Need Not Apply.” In other words, the law in 1990 dropped the “equal opportunity” laws that did govern labor laws. Bright Future Jobs is committed to restoring “equal opportunity” to the American work force.
Robert, I think you are doing something very important by running for office. At the moment, I have no security in my life, and I am so distracted by not being able to find work, that I can barely function. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imaged myself in this predicament. In November, 2006, when I lost my job, I didn’t even consider that I wouldn’t find work.
August 8th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
In answer to Susan Berlowitz
I Went Through the Same Process.
I went through the same process myself. I did not expect to be unemployed for so long.
I am now accept the fact that the solution will be political. We are not uneducated people. We and our families and churches and country have donated generously toward educating the third worlders who are now being used by international corporations to undermine our very existence. The problem is we had our heads in our technical disciplines and did not learn much in the way of history and political science.
The Democrats, most of whom are millionaires, take the vote of working people for granted. The Republicans are more honest about representing the interests of corporations. You have learned what many have yet to learn, none of the major parties care about us nor out predicament. Their policies will turn us into another third world banana republic. That is a disaster for the rest of the world because the relatively wealthy American Middle class has exported its ideas on freedom of speech, democracy, science, etc. , not perfectly, but it has had a positive effect.
The free press is not really free. Presses and distribution systems cost money and they are owned by vested interests and may also profit from cheap illegal labor. I am surprised that Barbara Ehrenreich’s books get published at all. I think she is trying, but she is not Moses or Christ almighty and can only do so much without others taking some initiative.
So the first thing you might want to do is look at
http://www.pvla.net
Limiting yourself to the two major parties will not change much. I think you already know more than most of the politicians you were helping anyway. The politicians that are any good in the major parties never make it through the nomination process anyway.
By running yourself you get to make noise right up to election day. Maybe even after that with “I told you so” stories from those slow of wit who did not vote for you. I was unaware of the debates you mentioned, and so are most people. The CEO could care less, he has his money. And even if someone agreed with your point in the debate then what should they do? Vote for the incumbent? You need to give people something to do besides beg some politician who does not really want to represent us anyway.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Robert, I agree that both political parties are corrupt. I am an Independent, and therefore, not aligned with either party. And, you are right again, when you state that the Democrats are all millionaires. I do think that a lot of people are trying to make a difference, but with “the haves” getting richer by the day, it is so difficult to make any real headway in order to propel serious change in the way America does business, domestically and internationally.
Everyone involved with United Professionals is educated. There must be a way to organize and to create economic viability for ourselves. I can’t see myself running for office, but I could work for someone who runs. We do need alternatives to the two-party system.
August 9th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
The problem with not belonging to a party is that numbers count in legislative bodies. Political appointments are made along party lines. And Many would-be Democrats and Republicans hide behind the independent of un-enrolled label. I am trying to get others to run under the same party banner in adjoining districts. It would result in more publicity.
I have worked on campaigns for others. I could not see myself running either. I am a computer programmer, an introvert profession. I have a 97% hearing loss. I also have a heart problem. I would have been happy being the guy who helps someone else run.
No one who would take a stand against outsourcing, excessive legislation, etc. stepped forward to run. So I did. I did not spend any money, and I got more votes than any non-Democratic candidate in history of this District. I still lost. But now an editor of a weekly paper seems to be repeating some of the points which I have raised. I am also finding some of my remarks being repeated in various local forums. I am also finding my URL being posted by others in local forums.
People have to start standing up for themselves.
August 13th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Those seeking more information on American Job Destruction go to:
http://www.eng-i.com/E-Newsletters.htm
August 13th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Susan,
I would like to talk to you and Robert.
Mike Rothschild
847.644.3940
August 15th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
To: Mike Rothschild
Ok, but because of my hearing loss I will have to use a relay service over the telephone
Alternatives are emil or IM
My email is rjunderwood2000@yahoo.com
If you email or IM me please use your name. Many people use these funny handles which look like junk mail
August 17th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
To Mike Rothschild
I called
847.644.3940
using Mass Relay, but whoever answered the phone hung up on me and the relay service
November 19th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
I also have heard very bad and illegal things about the way that this attorney Keshab Raj Seadie treats and uses his own employees (I was not one, but know of several who were paid cash only, no taxes, no receipts, and fired with an envelope of cash for two weeks paid less than as agreed) . . . why is someone as not him been disbarred? That completely goes contra to bar association ethics, state by state. Plus it is the federal crime of tax evasion. This is a lawyer? Did Susan B. ever go after him or what? Do lawyers get away with more than anyone else who is a citizen?