http://forum.washtech.org/ Where is your job going today? en Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:47:44 +0000 http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=5#post-42 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:13:07 +0000 Rennie 42@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>Yes, I have experienced this as well. I was a "vendor" at Microsoft, thinking that it might be better than "a-dash", but it is the same job with more headaches.</p> <p>The problem with organizing within the contracting company is that they can play games with "who is in the bargaining unit". Since they have control over this, they can include other employees from other states and other countries when you try to organize. This makes it nearly impossible to get a passing vote for a union. </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=8#post-41 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:07:35 +0000 Rennie 41@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>I've heard of this. This is why just stopping H-1B isn't enough. L-1 Visas are abused in the same way. I am going to do some more reasearch on the Business Visa. </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=8#post-10 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:49:04 +0000 Joel 10@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>I am a US citizen with over 10 years programming experience.</p> <p>I was recently replaced by an Indian worker who came in on a Business Visa (B-1). The company that I was working for was unable to get H1-B visas so they contracted a US temp agency with offices in India. The company signed a “vendor” contract with this agency which brings in Indian programmers using Business Visas (B-1). There are over a dozen such programmers there now. I’m sure that agency is doing this across the US with other companies. </p> <p>These programmers come to the USA and are provided an apartment, meals, bus fare, some spending money and minor medical benefits. They continue to draw their salaries from India. They put in long hours programming. If they get seriously sick, they are sent back to India. They do it because personally it looks great on their resumes to have worked in the USA.</p> <p>It was my understanding that a Business Visa could only be used for things like consulting with business associates, attending a scientific, educational, professional or business convention, negotiate a contract, or participate in short-term training. I thought that it was illegal to work while on a Business Visa. <a href="http://www.immihelp.com/visas/businessvisa/" rel="nofollow">http://www.immihelp.com/visas/businessvisa/</a> </p> <p>There seems to be no limit to the number of Business Visas that a company may get. This is a new way to get around the limited number of H1-B Visas issued each year.</p> <p>Does anyone else know of similar stories? Can anything be done? </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=7#post-9 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:52:13 +0000 ondrake 9@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>Hello.<br /> I've invented Flashcards using an MS-Excel Spreadsheet for learning French and Spanish.<br /> ( My database includes 14,000 French words, and 6,000 Spanish words)<br /> However, this "spreadsheet flashcard" approach it so hot it can be used with any topic or list of words or list of concepts - Engineering terms, Physics, English Lit, Tech terms, etc.</p> <p>I need a person to help me do four things :<br /> 1- Protect the intellectual property of this idea<br /> 2- Find some VC or grant funding<br /> 3- Develop a web site or phone app or Game to market this.<br /> 4- Collect the money and run.</p> <p>Ergo, if you're a programmer interested in Education, and if you have the right skills and connections, we need to team up. The right school or right company or right Grant Agency would give their 1st born to see this in action.<br /> ( I got a 3.9 GPA taking 2 yrs of French and a 3.9 GPA in 1 yr of Spanish using these flashcards.)<br /> I've used this very successfully in teaching and learning, so I'd like to see it fly.</p> <p>I live near the Univ. of Washington, so perhaps we can meet in the U-District.</p> <p>Mark Ondrake, MA, MBA<br /> <a href="mailto:markondrake@yahoo.com">markondrake@yahoo.com</a><br /> 1-25-2010 </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=6#post-8 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:13:41 +0000 trey 8@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>Claim #1 is false. Each union contract is different.Each union contract is negotiated seperately,and they should be negotiated to adress the concerns of both the workers and the company. Whatever flexibilty may be needed, can all be addressed in the contract. If you can think of a scenario now that would cause the company to need flexibility, these same scenarioscan be thought of and addressed at the bargaining table. All too often, "flexibilty" really means allowing the company to do what they please to cover up some kind of bad planning on managment's behalf. One example would be a company trynig to force a call center worker to stay late because call volume is high, and the reason the volume is high, is because the company under staffed the shift. </p> <p>You mentioned the issue of a union worker not wanting to perform work outside of their job tittle. The reason this could be an issue must be understood. The reason this is a problem, is because you risk having a worker performing a job they have not be trained to do, which essentially puts a worker at risk of being fired or disciplined, for incorreclty performing a task he or she has never been trained on. It's not fair to the worker and is also a sign mis-managment. The only reason a worker would ever be asked to do such a thing, would be to cover up some manager's lack ofability to utilize the staff's talent in an effecient manner. Not to mention the many ways this could be used to bust a union,by basically firing workers,who just so happen to be big union supporters, for incorrectly performing a task they have never been trained on.</p> <p>You will notice that one of the major fears companies have of a unionized workforce, is that mis-management is usually exposed, because the company can no longer manage in a wreckless manner. </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=6#post-7 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:19:24 +0000 aaronsta 7@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>I am an at-large Washtech member in IT at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Recently I have been debating an anti-union colleague on the subject of clerical and professional staff unionization. He claims that unions are too inflexible to play a part in white-collar work, and lead to people refusing to work on anything not in their job description. He also claims that unions lead to an adversarial climate between management and workers which is harmful to the organization.</p> <p>This second claim I can easily argue against, since it's the same claim that bosses have made against unions since the 1800s-- unions didn't invent conflict at work, they just give workers an organized voice in it.</p> <p>The first claim (unions supposedly being too inflexible for white collar work), I am not so sure how to argue against, since I have not worked in a union shop myself. I do know that IT departments at some other universities, and in parts of government, are unionized, and from the outside it seems that they get work done OK. Does anyone have any suggestions for arguments against this first claim?</p> <p>Thanks,<br /> Aaron Stark </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=5#post-6 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:33:58 +0000 montsaroff 6@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>I completely agree with your position here.</p> <p>Another issue to consider is that there appears to be a significant move on the part of at least one of these large companies to attempt to violate the "permatemp" rules.</p> <p>Recently had experience working as "vendor" employee, but really functioning as a "contingent employee." Actually wondering if this was legal. </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=5#post-5 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:16:53 +0000 rickhan 5@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>Microsoft and other large companies get away with anything they want to by using the CSG vendors as middlemen, isolating the CSG workers.<br /> So organize all the CSG companies.. Then when a large company like Microsoft pulls something like this, a strike can be called across all agencies who have workers at whatever company. This would take a large, coordinated, and concerted effort to hit all the major companies at the same time. I thought this is what WashTech was created to do. </p> <p>This would force all interested parties to the bargaining table. Also would force transparency in exactly how much is being charged for what --some agencies take a lot higher percentage for no added benefit to the worker.</p> <p>I've been a contractor and fte, and I've seen the abuse from both sides. </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=4#post-4 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:08:50 +0000 Sheppard 4@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>I am a new employee to AT&#38;T and upon reviewing the contract it states that wage increase was suppose to be done on 02-03-08 does this still increase on 02-03-09 beings that we are not on a tentative agreement. Or when does our wage increase go into affect? </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=3#post-3 Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:52:09 +0000 Rennie 3@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>Will you take just a minute, take out your<br /> cell phone, and call the Legislative<br /> Hotline today to support the Worker<br /> Privacy Act!</p> <p>CALL 1-800-562-6000<br /> Give the operator your name and<br /> address, and tell them you want to leave a<br /> message for your 3 legislators AND the Governor:</p> <p>“Please support the Worker Privacy Act<br /> and support the First Amendment. It’s<br /> House Bill 1528 and Senate Bill 5446.”</p> <p>Thank you for helping your Union today! </p> http://forum.washtech.org/topic.php?id=2#post-2 Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:48:10 +0000 Rennie 2@http://forum.washtech.org/ <p>Thanks to all who have stayed committed to the cause. It is through the dedication of CWA/WashTech members that made this agreement possible. See the blog for the details of the agreement: <a href="http://blog.washtech.org" rel="nofollow">http://blog.washtech.org</a> </p>