General Discussion

leveymg

(36,418 posts)

36. Those manufacturing jobs have been offshored, and the savings pocketed by the 1%

Fri Apr 20, 2012, 04:05 PM

Apr 2012

The part of the free trade debate that gets it wrong is that that most criticism is misdirected at skilled immigration, which is not the problem.

The attack on international service jobs (H-1B) is in a sector where the U.S. is a net winner in the balance of trade. If we were to close the door to skilled foreign workers, we would be the net jobs loser in a trade war.

Trade in Services is a separate issue (and a separate WTO Treaty - GATS). The big deficit in trade in goods has sources in bad U.S. industrial policy, deregulation of corporations, and importation of commodities. That part of the trade equation is governed by the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs on imported goods (WTO-GATT) - that part, industrial policy and the imbalance in trade in goods, has been a HUGE loser for U.S. workers.

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Offshoring is all about excluding American workers from the job market. Plain and simple. [View all] Zalatix Apr 2012 OP

Ditto for importing foreign labor via H-1B or L-1 visas Larkspur Apr 2012 #1

Professor Norm Matloff's H-1B web page: H-1B work visa is fundamentally about cheap labor antigop Apr 2012 #34

Clinton's free-trade advocacy is hitting labor where it lives antigop Apr 2012 #2

Nail her to the wall on what benefits she says we receive from this. Zalatix Apr 2012 #7

In my opinion, the Clintons are probably personally profiting from their business ties JDPriestly Apr 2012 #9

HILLARY CLINTON (D-PUNJAB)�S PERSONAL FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL TIES TO INDIA antigop Apr 2012 #17

Careful, JD. You might be called a "hater" or something. n/t antigop Apr 2012 #18

Does IBM plan to reduce US headcount by 78% by 2015? antigop Apr 2012 #3

" We have a right to fight back..." --- the Dems need to get behind this issue! antigop Apr 2012 #4

This election year, THAT needs to be our rallying cry. Putting pressure on both loudsue Apr 2012 #5

Clueless in the White House antigop Apr 2012 #6

Well, technically that is the policy. H1B'rs supposedly provide unique qualifications.. DCBob Apr 2012 #11

You might want to look at this. Zalatix Apr 2012 #13

H-1Bs aren't indentured servants. They're paid the prevailing wage & can change employers at will. leveymg Apr 2012 #23

A H1B worker who is sponsered by a company cannot leave that company until.. DCBob Apr 2012 #24

Wrong. Once a new petition is filed, an H-1B worker can "port" to his next job. leveymg Apr 2012 #25

That has not been my experience. DCBob Apr 2012 #26

Are you an H-1B worker or someone with working knowledge of nonimmigrant visas? leveymg Apr 2012 #28

Thats possible. DCBob Apr 2012 #29

Cheers! leveymg Apr 2012 #31

It doesn't save companies money to hire H-1Bs? Wrong. Please look at this. Zalatix Apr 2012 #41

The $52K is the lowest of a 4-level wage system - entry level, no exper. $96K is the mean wage paid leveymg Apr 2012 #45

article about Apple jobs overseas ctaylors6 Apr 2012 #8

The reason we lost out is we don't do slave labor here. Zalatix Apr 2012 #10

yes, but each employee is given tea and a biscuit ctaylors6 Apr 2012 #15

I give them all bad raps for this shit. Zalatix Apr 2012 #16

oh I agree but Apple could get all that built here in US ctaylors6 Apr 2012 #19

K&R n/t OhioChick Apr 2012 #12

DUrec!!! bvar22 Apr 2012 #14

kick n/t antigop Apr 2012 #20

Your premise is wrong: US has long enjoyed a net surplus in trade in services, unlike manufacturing leveymg Apr 2012 #21

Your graph shows a HUGE loss of manufacturing jobs and a SMALL rise in service jobs Zalatix Apr 2012 #32

First part is right - services steady, massive deindustrialization. But, service exports are leveymg Apr 2012 #33

Where are the jobs for the tons of Americans who can't get into those few "highly paid" service jobs Zalatix Apr 2012 #35

Those manufacturing jobs have been offshored, and the savings pocketed by the 1% leveymg Apr 2012 #36

H1B visas outright discriminate against American workers Zalatix Apr 2012 #37

H-1B doesn't discriminate any more than US service workers abroad discriminate against Indonesians. leveymg Apr 2012 #38

H-1B workers aren't "cheap labor"? Uh, the facts disagree with you. Zalatix Apr 2012 #39

Please see #45, above. As for leveymg Apr 2012 #48

I can't believe you tried to refute the facts with that. Zalatix Apr 2012 #54

Technical glitch. Double posted. Self-deleted. leveymg Apr 2012 #55

That article is from June of 2007. Underpayment of H-1Bs has not been a recent, widespread problem. leveymg Apr 2012 #56

2007? You think that companies aren't still trying to find cheap labor this way? Zalatix Apr 2012 #57

Oh, they'll hire Americans just fine hobbit709 Apr 2012 #22

Displacement is illegal, proving displacement has been made impossible. uponit7771 Apr 2012 #27

Why do you hate Chinese people Hugabear Apr 2012 #30

And from the product after they ruin our environment running it to the water to ship it to China. lonestarnot Apr 2012 #40

it's a deliberate strip mining of our populous' wealth for the time the elites choose to flee NuttyFluffers Apr 2012 #42

American jobs for American workers eh? Sea-Dog Apr 2012 #43

OK, we should credit the BNP with coming up with that slogan (at least the British version of it). pampango Apr 2012 #44

Gordon Brown (New Labour) MichaelMcGuire Apr 2012 #46

Part of a ugly politics that is popular with the right-wing-nuts Sea-Dog Apr 2012 #47

LOL. You've made a sale! nt Romulox Apr 2012 #50

Economic justice = racism! That's what you mean to imply, right? nt Romulox Apr 2012 #49

dispite the saleble words whats it like sharing the same platform as the right? Sea-Dog Apr 2012 #51

And yet *you* are the one who shares an economic ideology with rightwing think-tanks CATO and ALEC. Romulox Apr 2012 #52

I except your surrender Sea-Dog Apr 2012 #58

A series of pathetic and over-the-top posts supported strictly by a South Park clip... Romulox Apr 2012 #59

You're right varelse Apr 2012 #53