June 12, 2002
Dear President Bush:
I am writing to you to convey my deep concerns over the state of the American Information Technology worker of which I am one. I have two primary concerns:
1. Continuation of the American Competitiveness Workforce Act of 1998, that increased the number of immigrant worker visas to 195,000.
Mr. President, American Information Technology workers had to study hard and continue to study hard to keep their skills up to par with the rapidly changing pace of technology. Most of us have, in the name of company loyalty, worked long stressful hours in order to make production dates. And what do we get in return? Businesses and even State governments (Ohio and Indiana to name two) firing their American workers and hiring H1B visa holders who will work for a fraction of what their American counterpart was earning. The sponsors of these visas claim they cannot find the workers with the right skill set but this simply cannot be true in these numbers. American Information Technology workers find themselves unemployed in unprecedented numbers.
In January 2001, when the company I worked for closed its doors in Phoenix Arizona, I watched while more than twenty hard-working American citizenslost their jobs whilst H1B workers, many with the same skill set, remained employed in Scottsdale (they were placed under the Glendale California branch). Mr. President, I lost my entire 401K savings as a result of losing my job. It took me several months to find another position in Tucson and I lost 1/3 of my salary ($80,000 down to $50,000). I had to use my retirement savings to pay bills so that I could afford to work. I could not even afford to purchase health insurance for my wife through my new employer. I assure you that I am not the only American Information Technology worker who has found himself or herself in such a position.