The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    BTS producer encourages anticipation for future messages from group

  • 3

    Korean shorthairs among favorite cat breeds as more people choose to adopt pets

  • 5

    LIFE'S OLLE TRAILS 1How hiking Jeju's 437km of trails changed my life

  • 7

    Tom Cruise to visit Korea to promote new film

  • 9

    REVIEW'The ODD Of LOVE' concert: Taeyeon shows why she is among K-pop's top vocalists

  • 11

    S. Korea, Japan agree to prevent recurrence of maritime dispute

  • 13

    Korea sees record-high number of flu patients for late spring

  • 15

    Concerns rise over Samsung SDS' growing intra-group transactions

  • 17

    Korean bio firms to seek new opportunities at int'l convention in Boston

  • 19

    Shipbuilding stocks rally over hope for 'super cycle'

  • 2

    Senior citizens land low-wage jobs after retirement: report

  • 4

    From hip-hop idols to global superstars, BTS shatters records over decade

  • 6

    Uhm Jung-hwa enjoys second heyday with JTBC series 'Doctor Cha'

  • 8

    Korea beats Nigeria to advance to semifinals at FIFA U-20 World Cup

  • 10

    3 EXO members file antitrust complaint against SM Entertainment

  • 12

    Korea denies discussion with EU on sending ammunition to Ukraine

  • 14

    Baritone Kim Tae-han wins Queen Elisabeth Competition

  • 16

    Election watchdog under fire for refusing to accept inspection

  • 18

    K-food transforms global culinary industry

  • 20

    Agency launched to offer exclusive support for overseas Koreans

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
Tue, June 6, 2023 | 17:47
Guest Column
Uber is latest cheap labor-addicted employer
Posted : 2020-01-14 17:27
Updated : 2020-01-14 17:27
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Joe Guzzardi

Uber, the multinational ride-hailing company that burst onto the scene in 2009 and made Yellow Cab passe, has, at least superficially, enjoyed a phenomenal success record. Only a little more than a decade after its formation, Uber operates in more than 60 countries, 785 municipal centers and has an estimated 110 million worldwide users.

The San Francisco-based Uber also, like its Silicon Valley neighbors Facebook, Apple, eBay, Google and Yahoo, has displaced its U.S. software engineers with H-1B visa holders. Like its corporate partners-in-crime, Uber denies the charges that it laid off Americans in favor of employing foreign nationals.

But in its investigative journalism story, the Mercury News reported that Uber's Sept. 10 filing with California's employment regulator showed that in August it had laid off 88 workers from its San Francisco offices, and in October would lay off 320 more in its San Francisco and Palo Alto offices. Most were senior software engineers.

During 2019's first three quarters, Uber filed about 1,800 preliminary applications with the Labor Department for H-1B visas for new software engineer jobs and about 1,500 for new senior software engineer jobs, proof that the company hopes to hire visa holders to replace the outgoing U.S. tech workers.

More evidence that money motivates the cheap labor-addicted Uber: its applications put nearly half the senior software engineer positions at the Labor Department's Level 2 wages, the same level it listed for more than half of the non-senior jobs ― a minimum of $109,242 for employment in Palo Alto and $121,077 in San Francisco.

But Ron Hira, a Howard University associate professor and H-1B expert, told the Mercury News that the Labor Department says that any software engineer's job description that includes "senior" in its title should command a Level 3 wage, $132,184 in Palo Alto, and $147,597 in San Francisco.

Uber is just one more craven employer to terminate qualified Americans and replace them with pliant foreign workers. For example, in 2015, Toys "R" Us and Disney laid off their most experienced employees and, after forcing the outgoing Americans to train their less qualified replacements, filled the jobs with H-1Bs visa holders. Before and after 2015, the pattern of Americans out, visa holders in has been well established.

In its November 2019 report, Challenger Gray & Christmas, Inc., a global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm, stated that the tech sector announced 7,292 cuts in November. Furthermore, through November, tech companies estimated that they would reduce their payrolls by an additional 63,447 jobs. Tech's annual job slashing total is 380?percent higher than the 13,222 cuts it announced during the same period in 2018 ― 380?percent higher!

With H-1B visa abuse finally on Americans' radar, President Trump is on the spot to deliver on the grandiose campaign promises he made to get tough. From candidate Trump's March 2016 press release: "I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions."

Author, lawyer and long-time H-1B critic John Miano put together a list of seven steps that the president could take that include working with Congress to write legislation that would prevent foreign nationals from displacing Americans. But President Trump's early promises have proven empty ― he's done little to alleviate the scandalous displacement of U.S. tech workers.

The H-1B visa benefits only the foreign nationals who come to the U.S. to take good jobs and the employers that hire them. The big losers are displaced Americans who will struggle to find new jobs. Also, on the stick's short end are recent university STEM graduates who will be shut out because of employers' cheap labor addictions.


Joe Guzzardi (jguzzardi@pfirdc.org) is a Progressives for Immigration Reform analyst who has written about immigration for more than 30 years. His commentary was distributed by Cagle Cartoons Inc.


 
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1Korean shorthairs among favorite cat breeds as more people choose to adopt pets Korean shorthairs among favorite cat breeds as more people choose to adopt pets
2Agency launched to offer exclusive support for overseas Koreans Agency launched to offer exclusive support for overseas Koreans
3[ANALYSIS] S. Korean economy feared to follow in Japan's footsteps ANALYSISS. Korean economy feared to follow in Japan's footsteps
4Korea's export dependency on China dips below 20% Korea's export dependency on China dips below 20%
5Retail investors bet on wrong horse despite KOSPI rally Retail investors bet on wrong horse despite KOSPI rally
6Retailers use recycled, biodegradable plastic to attract eco-conscious consumers Retailers use recycled, biodegradable plastic to attract eco-conscious consumers
7Memorial event to be held for fallen Thai soldiers of Korean War Memorial event to be held for fallen Thai soldiers of Korean War
8Stats agency to use Naver's AI chatbot to offer tailored data for firms Stats agency to use Naver's AI chatbot to offer tailored data for firms
9HD Hyundai, Hanwha Ocean to compete in Busan to sell naval ships HD Hyundai, Hanwha Ocean to compete in Busan to sell naval ships
10Korea pushes digital technology exports to Middle East, Japan, ASEAN Korea pushes digital technology exports to Middle East, Japan, ASEAN
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[REVIEW] 'The ODD Of LOVE' concert: Taeyeon shows why she is among K-pop's top vocalists REVIEW'The ODD Of LOVE' concert: Taeyeon shows why she is among K-pop's top vocalists
2Baritone Kim Tae-han wins Queen Elisabeth Competition Baritone Kim Tae-han wins Queen Elisabeth Competition
3Busan Film Festival accepts director Huh Moon-yung's resignation Busan Film Festival accepts director Huh Moon-yung's resignation
4[INTERVIEW] 'One Day Off' star Lee Na-young, director on creating subtle, feel-good series INTERVIEW'One Day Off' star Lee Na-young, director on creating subtle, feel-good series
5'HyeMiLeeYeChaePa' producer Lee Tae-kyung hopeful of second season 'HyeMiLeeYeChaePa' producer Lee Tae-kyung hopeful of second season
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group