IP: IEEE-USA ASKS MEMBERS TO SPEAK OUT IN SUPPORT OF THE

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Handle as you see fit djf




IEEE-USA ELECTRONIC ALERT




RELEASED: November 28, 1995
CONTACT:  Vin O'Neill
          (O) 202-785-0017, ext. 319
          (F) 202-785-0835
          (E-mail) v.oneill () ieee org




     IEEE-USA ASKS MEMBERS TO SPEAK OUT IN SUPPORT OF THE
     IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 (S. 1394)
                                                                  


             NOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!




DEAR IEEE MEMBER:


IEEE's UNITED STATES ACTIVITIES (IEEE-USA) IS ASKING FOR YOUR
HELP TO SUPPORT LEGISLATION INTRODUCED BY SENATOR ALAN SIMPSON
(S. 1394, THE IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 1995) THAT WOULD ADDRESS
MANY OF OUR CONCERNS ABOUT DISPLACEMENT OF U.S. WORKERS AND
EXPLOITATION OF FOREIGN BORN TECHNICAL PROFESSIONALS. 


THE ISSUE


In 1990, partly in response to spurious claims that the nation
faced serious shortages of engineers and scientists, Congress
authorized substantial increases in employment-based immigration
to the United States.  The Immigration Act of 1990 raised the
ceiling on permanent employment-based admissions from 54,000 to
140,000 a year and assigned high priority to the entry of
professionals and skilled workers.  The 1990 Act also established
new nonimmigrant admissions categories and streamlined admissions
procedures for foreign nationals coming temporarily to study,
work, or conduct business in the United States.


Despite the shortage projections, more than 146,000 engineering
jobs were lost from 1990-1993. And despite overall economic
growth, layoffs of engineers and scientists by major employers in
the public and private sectors are continuing due to defense
budget cuts, corporate downsizing, and government
belt-tightening. Not only have engineering jobs been harder to
come by--especially for new graduates and older engineers--but
many pay a lot less than they did a few years ago.  The American
Association of Engineering Societies' Engineering Workforce
Commission, for example, has reported that the real purchasing
power of engineering salaries reached a 20 year low in 1994, with
entry-level wages being particularly hard hit.  


At the same time that unemployment remains a concern and real
wages are falling, thousands of foreign-born engineers and
scientists are being hired to work in the United States on both
permanent and temporary visas.  Immigration and Naturalization
Service statistics indicate that more than 240,000 foreign born
engineers were admitted to work on permanent or temporary visas
in the United States between 1990 and 1994.  


There is a major concern that employers, including businesses and
educational institutions, are taking advantage of the immigration
laws to displace American workers and to hire foreign
professionals who are willing to accept low wages in order to
enter or remain in the United States.   As just one example, in
May, CBS News/48 Hours highlighted the case of American
International Group, a multi-national financial services firm,
which laid off 250 computer programmers in three states and
out-sourced their work to foreign nationals after requiring the
displaced Americans to train their replacements.


To address these and other concerns, Senator Alan Simpson,
chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration
introduced the Immigration Reform Act of 1995 (S. 1394) on
November 3, 1995.  This bill would reduce permanent,
employment-based admissions from 140,000 to 90,000 per year and
strengthen administrative requirements governing the entry of
foreign professionals on both permanent and temporary admissions
programs.  A more detailed description of the bill and its
provisions is available from Vin O'Neill in the IEEE Washington
office or by e-mail request to v.oneill () ieee org.


IEEE-USA POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS


At IEEE's 1995 PACE Conference, representatives from IEEE
sections and chapters from across the United States called upon
IEEE-USA to take action in support of immigration reform
legislation.  As a first step, IEEE-USA responded on October 13th
with a statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on
Immigration outlining our position, which is summarized below:


IEEE-USA agrees with the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform
that a properly regulated system of legal immigration is needed
to enhance the benefits of immigration and protect against
potential harms.  We support current efforts to find a reasonable
balance between employers need for access to high tech
professionals and the need to safeguard job opportunities, wages,
and working conditions for citizens and legally admitted foreign
nationals in the United States.  Based on current engineering
labor market conditions in the United States, IEEE-USA
specifically supports:  a) substantial reductions in the
admissions ceilings;  b) strict application of admission
requirements; and c) more effective enforcement procedures.


Senator Simpson's bill is an important step in the right
direction.  We have reservations about certain aspects of the
bill (e.g. use of labor market information to identify "shortage"
occupations, conditional permanent resident status provisions,
and the proposed requirement that employers pay a substantial
fee to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign workers) as well as
the bill's failure to provide enhanced investigatory and
enforcement authority for the Department of Labor.  We expect
that these concerns can be resolved during mark-up of the bill by
the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration on November
29th.  With this expectation, IEEE-USA believes that the Simpson
bill offers a reasonable middle ground between proponents of
unlimited access to cheap foreign labor and those who advocate a
complete moratorium on employment-based admissions.


HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE


The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration will be
reviewing Senator Simpson's legislation this week.


==>  AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CALL, FAX OR E-MAIL SENATORS WHO ARE
     MEMBERS OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND URGE THEM TO
     SUPPORT THE LEGAL IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 (S. 1394).


     A contact sheet is attached with phone, fax, and e-mail
     addresses.  If your Senator(s) are not on the list, contact
     the bill sponsor Senator Alan Simpson, to indicate your
     support.


     When you make the contact, share your concerns and indicate
     your support for Senator Simpson's bill.  Stress that
     legislation is needed to safeguard employment opportunities
     for U.S. engineers, scientists, and computer specialists
     and to prevent exploitation of foreign high tech
     professionals recruited to work at wage levels considerably
     below the prevailing standards.


     Tell them that the legislation should:


     *    Reduce the current ceilings on employment-based
          admissions back to 1990 levels.


     *    Require employers to demonstrate that they have made
          appropriate efforts to recruit U.S. workers before
          hiring similarly skilled foreign workers.


     *    Require employers to pay foreign workers at
          prevailing wage levels.


     *    Give the Department of Labor the enforcement powers
          needed to ensure compliance.


==>  IF YOU AREN'T ABLE TO MAKE THIS CONTACT, YOU CAN STILL HELP
     OUT BY GIVING US PERMISSION TO PUT YOUR NAME ON A PETITION
     LETTER TO THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.


     A copy of the petition letter is attached.  Simply fax or
     e-mail your permission for us to add your name to the
     letter along with your name, address (and IEEE member
     number) to Sharon Richardson (s.richardson () ieee org) in the
     IEEE Washington office.


==>  YOU CAN ALSO H ELP BY PASSING THIS INFORMATION ON THE
     FELLOW IEEE MEMBERS WHO MAY SHARE THESE CONCERNS


Please send copies of your faxes or e-mails and any responses to
Vin O'Neill, IEEE-USA, 1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 1202,
Washington, D.C., 20036, email: v.oneill () ieee org.


Thank you.


Joel B. Snyder, P.E.
Vice President, Professional Activities
    and
Chairman, United States Activities Board






                     SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE


Spencer Abraham (R-MI) 
     Phone:  224-4822
     Fax:  224-8834
     E-mail:  michigan () abraham senate gov


Joseph B. Biden, Jr. (D, DE) 
     Phone: 224-5042
     Fax:  224-0139
     E-mail:  senator () biden senate gov


Hank Brown (R, CO)
     Phone:  224-5941
     Fax:  224-6471
     E-mail:  senator_brown () brown senate gov


Diane Feinstein (D, CA)*
     Phone: 224-3841
     Fax:   228-3954
     E-mail:  senator () feinstein senate gov


Charles E. Grassley (R, IA)*
     Phone: 224-3744
     Fax:  224-6020
     E-mail:  chuck_grassley () grassley senate gov


Orrin G. Hatch (R,UT)
     Phone:  224-5251
     Fax:  224-6331
     E-mail:  -not available-


Howell T. Heflin (D, AL)
     Phone:  224-2124
     Fax:  224-3149
     E-mail:   -not available-


Edward M. Kennedy (D, MA)*
     Phone:   224-4543
     Fax:  224-2417  
     E-mail:  senator () kennedy senate gov


Herbert H. Kohl (D, WI)
     Phone:  224-5653
     Fax:  224-9787
     E-mail:  senator_kohl () kohl senate gov


Jon L. Kyl (R, AZ)*
     Phone:  224-4521
     Fax:  228-1239
     E-mail:  info () kyl senate gov


Patrick J. Leahy (D, VT)
     Phone:  224-4242
     Fax:   224-3595  
     E-mail:  senator_leahy () leahy senate gov


Paul Simon (D, IL)*
     Phone:  224-2152
     Fax:  224-0868
     E-mail:  senator () simon senate gov


Alan K. Simpson (R, WY)*
     Phone:  224-3424
     Fax:   224-1315  
     E-mail:  senator () simpson senate gov


Arlen Specter (R, PA)*
     Phone:  224-4254
     Fax:  228-1229  
     E-mail:  senator_specter () spector senate gov


Fred Thompson (R, TN)
     Phone:  224-4944
     Fax:  228-3679
     E-mail:  senator_thompson () thompson senate gov


Strom Thurmond (R, SC)
     Phone:  224-5972
     Fax:  224-1300
     E-mail:  -not available-


Mike DeWine (R, OH)
     Phone:  224-2315
     Fax:  224-6519
     E-mail:  senator_dewine () dewine senate gov


Notes: All phone calls and faxes are to the (202) area code.  If
for any reason you are unable to reach the Member at the phone
address indicated above, contact the Capitol Switchboard at
202-224-3121.  Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are
listed in alphabetical order.  Senator Orrin Hatch is the
Chairman and Joseph Biden the ranking Minority Member.  The
members with an * following their names are members of the
Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration.  Senator Alan
Simpson chairs the Immigration Subcommittee.  E-mail addresses
are provided where they could be determined.




-----COPY OF IEEE-USA PETITION LETTER THAT WILL BE SENT TO
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN SUPPORT OF S. 1394----




Members of the Judiciary Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510


Dear Senators:


We are engineers and computer specialists concerned about the
impact of current immigration laws on high tech employment here
in the United States.   Too many employers are hiring foreign
workers as replacements for displaced (or about to be displaced)
American workers because of their willingness to work for wages
considerably below prevailing standards.  Employers are taking
advantage of admission caps that were adjusted upwards by the
Immigration Act of 1990 on the basis of false projections of
anticipated shortages in the U.S. engineering workforce. 
Notification and labor certification requirements provided in the
1990 Act to safeguard against abuses have proven inadequate due
to weak enforcement mechanisms.  As a consequence, increasing
numbers of U.S. technical professionals are being laid off and
foreign professionals who, through their knowledge and expertise,
can make an important contribution to this country are being
exploited.


We believe that immigration reforms are urgently needed to
balance the interests of U.S. employers and workers, including
engineers and scientists. These reforms should reduce the current
ceilings on employment-based admissions back to 1990 levels;
require employers to demonstrate that they have made appropriate
efforts to recruit U.S. workers before hiring similarly skilled
foreign workers; require employers to pay foreign workers at
prevailing wage levels; and give the Department of Labor the
enforcement powers needed to ensure compliance.


We recognize that employers need temporary access to foreign-born
professionals in order to be more competitive and create more
jobs in the United States.  U.S. professionals need adequate
safeguards from unfair competition for jobs in domestic labor
markets.  Foreign-born professionals deserve the opportunity to
attend academic institutions and to contribute their skills
without being exploited.  For these reasons, we ask your support
for Senator Simpson's Legal Immigration Reform Act of 1995 (S.
1394).  This bill represents a reasonable balance between the
various interests.


Signed:


(Your Name Here)
(Your Address Here)