RIGHTS OF AMERICAN WORKERS

Millions of American workers and students displaced by political policies catering to corporate interests are beginning to find a voice and fight back.

There is a growing movement in this country of workers of all walks of life to stop the trend of off-shore, near-shore and other visa loopholes that give jobs in America to people who are not American citizens.

The Organization for the Rights of American Workers (TORAW) is a worker advocacy group at the forefront of this movement. TORAW works to guarantee that U.S. citizens and immigrants with permanent green card status are gainfully employed before importing non-immigrant foreign workers to do the same jobs.

TORAW also makes several distinctions in their party-line: they are not a union, but they are working to protect union and non-union workers. Also, TORAW is not affiliated with any political party.

TORAW also provides a glossary of visa types and loophole methods used by corporations to give American jobs to non-citizens. Below are just a few. Visit toraw.org or http://www.us-immigration.com/employment/ for more in-depth visa information:

Off-shoring – This is when U.S. companies move their operations out of the country, usually to operate more cheaply and outside of American tax laws, etc. The overseas subsidiaries often send foreign employees to the U.S. on L-1 visas.

Near-shoring – This is like off-shoring, except closer, with companies moving operations to Canada, Mexico, or Guatemala.

Non-immigrant foreign worker – An alien admitted to the U.S. for a temporary period and specific purpose, but not for permanent residence. 6-7 years is the usual allowance for workers on a temporary work visa.

E-3 Visa Temporary Workers in Specialty Occupations – This visa is relatively new (since 2006) and just for Australians under the most recent trade treaty. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “specialty occupations” are defined as those requiring a bachelor’s degree or more. The annual cap is 10,500 and the maximum stay is two years, but can be renewed indefinitely. Also, employers do not have to file a petition and spouses are also allowed to work.

H-1B Temporary Workers in Specialty Occupations – According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “specialty occupations” include but are not limited to:

• Engineering
• Education
• Computer programming
• Physical sciences
• Social sciences
• Law
• Accounting
• Medicine and health
• Theology
• Business specialties
• Fashion models

L-1 Visa Intra-company Tranferees – This visa allows U.S. companies to import foreign employees from foreign subsidiaries, affiliates or parent companies. They must possess “specialized knowledge”, but the petition is a blanket one, which can be continually re-approved. And there is no annual cap for how many foreign employees enter the country annually using this visa.

 

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