Mr. William Sample
10925 Wild Dove Lane
Charlotte, North Carolina 28277
Dear Mr. Sample:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns with the
influx of foreign workers under the L-1 and H-lB visa programs.
Your views are important, and I appreciate your taking the
time to share them with me.
As you know North Carolina has been hit extremely hard with
job losses in all sectors, including the manufacturing, textile,
high-tech, and service industries. These high-tech and service
jobs were supposed to replace traditional manufacturing, according
to all of the economists. However, these jobs are now also
leaving at a record pace. We in Congress have tried to stem
the flow of these jobs by changing our tax code and creating
incentives for companies to keep their employees here.
As you know, one of the main problems we have had in this
sector has been high-tech companies hiring foreign workers
to come to the U.S. forjobs. You will be happy to know that
I have co-sponsored a bill, HR. 2849, the USA Jobs Protection
Act, that would prohibit the admission of these workers unless
the employer files an application with the Secretary of Labor
stating that the employer will not place the worker with another
employer and that it will not displace U.S. workers during
the period of 180 days before and after this hiring. This
bill would also make the visa applications available for public
examination and would provide wagecomparability. We must continue
to do more to protect ourjobs.
I was also upset to read the recent revelations that our own
state governments are turning to India and other countries
for workers. These jobs in call centers and facilities in
other countries are ones that our own citizens should be doing!
With many Americans struggling to find work, these state governments
should turn to its own citizens for work first and foremost.
I believe that the bad publicity that many of these state
governments have received from these news articles have helped
end these foreign outsourcing initiatives.
One of the reasons that outsourcing jobs to China is so
enticing for businesses is the massive currency manipulation
by the Chinese. China's currency is thought to be undervalued
by an estimated 40%! This effectively means that Chinese
goods are 40% cheaper than our American-made goods right
from the start! lam an original co-sponsor of the CHINA
Act,
which will force the Administration to impose a severe tariff
on Chinese goods until it corrects the value of its currency.
We are also introducing another bill that would apply a
275% tariff on Chinese goods until this manipulation is
corrected. The Chinese must float their currency; it is
what the country agreed to do when it joined the World Trade
Organization and we must bring all of the pressure we can
to force them to change this policy.
Again, thanks for contacting me, and please let me know
if there is anything further I can do for you or your family.
SM/jk
