Bright Future Jobs

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Huffington Post:
"Going Political-Not Postal"

::: BFJ Radio & TV appearances :::

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CNN Interview with Donna Conroy, Director
Cook County Urges H1-B Reform

One of the largest county governments in the nation voted on Tuesday to open the H-1B visa-hiring program to US citizens and legal residents – in opposition to 13 governors who earlier this week urged Congress to expand the program, without ever requiring employers to seek local talent for top-dollar, white-collar jobs. more...

::: BFJ In Print :::

NYT: "Court Orders Three H1-B Sites Disabled," Dec. 29, 2009 The routine intimidation of Indian tech workers has now been directed at American tech workers who wouldn't snitch on an Indian tech worker, threatening all Americans' free speech on the Internet.

New Jersey and Free Speech: "The action has labor rights activists, free speech activists, and even some beneficiaries of the H1-B visa program united in voicing opposition to the court decision," according to an editorial in the Oakland Journal, a local New Jersey paper.

Businessweek: "Jobs and Protectionism in the Stimulus Package," February 16, 2009 Critics of the H-1B program hailed the inclusion of the amendment as a victory. "The demand to reform corporate recruiting policies that ignore highly skilled local talent now moves center stage," says Donna Conroy, director of Brightfuturejobs.com, a lobbying group for visa reform.

Businessweek: "H-1b Visa Season is Here", March 31, 2009: On Mar. 31, Bright Future Jobs, a U.S. tech worker lobbying group, posted on its Web site 13 advertisements for jobs in which the employer designated a preference for H-1B visa workers or targeted them specifically for the positions, according to the Web site.

Businessweek: "H-1B Visa Law: Trying Again", April 24.2009: U.S. tech worker advocates praised these and other provisions in the bill. "We're thrilled that Senators Durbin and Grassley are requiring employers to seek local talent first," says Donna Conroy, executive director of Bright Future Jobs, a lobbying group for U.S. tech workers. "They recognize that American IT professionals have the talent, knowhow, and experience to push America's economic recovery into high gear."

Businessweek: "An Academic's Labor Helps Fight H-1B Visas," June 28, 2009
Anti-H-1B activists say they're worried less about academic research and more about shaping policy. "The thing that's missing in Norm Matloff's strategy is fighting for a seat at the table," says Donna Conroy, executive director of Bright Future Jobs, a lobbying group that advocates restricting the H-1B visa program. "We need a political movement that allows us to help craft legislation. All the numbers [Matloff] crunches won't have nearly the impact as American technical professionals standing up for themselves."

CIO MAGAZINE: "H-1b Reform Bill Could Complicate Offshore Outsourcing,"
Many rank-and-file IT professionals laud the legislation. "The Durbin bill will put a stop to the outsourcing of American jobs and the discrimination against American IT professionals," says Donna Conroy, a former IT professional and director of Bright Future Jobs, a grassroots lobbying group for American IT workers. "This bill was written for us."

Caught in the Trap

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HIGH TECH DEGREES IN ONE HAND, PINK SLIPS IN THE OTHER

Job openings in the US - but no citizens or green card holders need apply. Support SB 2535 and be part of restoring the chance to apply for all jobs in the US.

Americans can be proud of its "techies"-those who have spent their careers creating information technologies over the last 25 years.

Tens of thousands of these professionals, many of whom jumpstarted their careers with NDSL grants, went on to create the computers and applications we depend upon today. Just over 10 years ago, a new generation of technical professionals joined this seasoned crew and transformed the government funded ARPAnet into the vibrant and indispensable Internet.

Every stage in this information evolution has contributed to the American Dream by providing a variety of challenging, high-paying careers. However, too many of these cutting-edge creators are living the nightmare of job destruction or being forced to train their own replacements.

The younger creators, those approaching their 30’s and 40’s, too often are delivering pizza rather than higher bandwidth. In the past 4 years, these professionals have been joining millions of other hard-working people who have been proud to play by the rules. They are shocked to be rewarded with diminished careers and scant hope for upward mobility.

For years, many of us have been preaching technical education as the path for the jobs of tomorrow. Now, we find ourselves confronted by colleagues bearing high tech degrees in one hand and 2-year-old pink slips in the other. Amazingly, federal government programs have prevented these technical professionals from even applying for many job openings in their field.

An obscure goverment hiring program, the H-1B, prevents citizens and green card holders from applying for job openings listed in its database. The H-1B hiring program allows American companies and universities to consider only citizens from abroad for top dollar, white-collar jobs. The Department of Labor gives automatic approval to narrow the applicant pool for these job openings, without ever verifying that the job opening was ever competed for under Equal Opportunity hiring guidelines.

The discrimination in technical fields that victimized only Blacks, Hispanics and women has now been expanded to white and Asian-American men by this program. Just as the Black Codes excluded newly freed Black men from trade skills, this program is further isolating the US workforce from participation in the expanding Digital Age.

This program also creates an indentured workforce whom fill theses job openings. Many employers take advantage of this program to build a workforce that doesn't have the basic American freedom to change jobs easily. While salaries for job openings under the H1-B hiring program have always been lower than jobs competed under EEOC guidelines, a disturbing trend has emerged: salaries for job openings under H1-B are trending downward while jobs competed for under EEOC guidelines are trending upward. According to Computerworld, "...David Foote, president and chief research officer at Foote Partners, said there was a split in 2003: The salaries of U.S. workers increased, while H-1B wages continued downward."

Participating corporations have become addicted to this intoxicating concoction of job immobility and declining wages. Evidence of this corporate addiction keeps surfacing. Rather than quickly filling a position from the local market, employers now are willing to wait over 6 months to hire an indentured worker. In addition to the cost of delayed hiring, companies and universities incurr lawyer's fees and higher H1-B processing fees.

But there's a bright side to this story. Rep. Pascrell (D-NJ) has introduced a bill to reform this hiring program. This legislation would force employers to compete the job opening under EEOC hiring guidelines for 30 days. Only then would companies be able to file the job opening under the H-1B progam.

Be part of the new Equal Opportunity movement. When citizens and green card holders can apply for all job openings in the US economy, will you feel a bit more secure about your future?