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Re “High skill, low priority,” editorial, July 24
The Times appears to be unduly influenced by corporate lobbyists in advocating an increase in specialized foreign worker visas. Intel and Hewlett-Packard have recently laid off thousands of their top-skilled tech workers, yet they still lobby for more H-1B visa workers. Why? Because the claim that “H-1Bs do mandate that immigrants receive the same wage as qualified Americans” is false.
The H-1B “prevailing wage” provision allows employers to pay 25% below market wages while claiming full compliance with the law. The Programmers Guild advocates that Congress set H-1B prevailing wage as the median wage of U.S. workers in the occupations. Currently, Congress creates a financial incentive for corporations to lay off their skilled U.S. staff and replace them with foreign workers.
KIM BERRY
President
Programmers Guild
Citrus Heights, Calif.
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