University of California To Lay Off IT Workers, Replace With Visa Workers & Call Centers

Ironic that there are people going to college to get a job yet they attend a university that is eliminating jobs. There's a life lesson in there somewhere.
 
Conflicts and discrimination

There are conflicts of interest with some university staff and some outsourced contractor companies.

One of the companies being outsourced to HCL Technologies has a UC administrator on their board of directors. A Shankar Sastry is head of the engineering department.

http://www.computerworld.com/articl...s-ucal-academics-will-stay-on-hcl-boards.html

Another company being outsourced to FireEye has/had a UC Berkley Professor a Dawn Song on it's board.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fireeye-expands-global-leadership-team-123000419.html

Also laid off employees are considering a discrimination suit because the company is outsourcing to a company of basically one ethnicity in India where in California it was a diverse workforce/IT department.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/31...ing-could-trigger-discrimination-lawsuit.html
 
Outside contracting to university and school systems has been the norm around here. My son worked at a state university but did not work directly for the university. When the contract expired, he was out of a job. He now works for a school district, again, not directly for the district. I am guessing they save money by eliminating HR and maybe some legal responsibility, I don't know for certain. I am fairly sure that they must save money on salaries as it also appears the workload is unreasonably heavy--perhaps by combining duties? People are expendable. No pensions, limited benefits and rarely, raises. Perhaps they can import personnel and save even more $$$. That's what it sounds like!
 
The final insult is that they must train their replacements.

http://www.advfn.com/news_University-Of-California-Employees-Allege-Illegal_72912850.html

Also noted earlier a large chunk of the work will be done remotely overseas which raises additional privacy and hacking concerns. Especially since UC has 5 medical schools. Only 20% of the work contracted will be done with workers here.

I think the UC is too big and should fail perhaps by divesting themselves of something like the medical school. As a tax payer backing federal student loans or state tax payer funding the school I don't want my tax dollars going to overseas outsourcing. In addition to funding the schools the tax payers will have to fund unemployment as well.
 
WhatInThe said:
The final insult is that they must train their replacements.

http://www.advfn.com/news_University-Of-California-Employees-Allege-Illegal_72912850.html

Also noted earlier a large chunk of the work will be done remotely overseas which raises additional privacy and hacking concerns. Especially since UC has 5 medical schools. Only 20% of the work contracted will be done with workers here.

I think the UC is too big and should fail perhaps by divesting themselves of something like the medical school. As a tax payer backing federal student loans or state tax payer funding the school I don't want my tax dollars going to overseas outsourcing. In addition to funding the schools the tax payers will have to fund unemployment as well.
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Yes, they do have to train. This particular U decided to go back in house to fill jobs, I am not certain why. My son received three very nice letters of reference and could have applied for his job except it was changed so much he didn't want it. Maybe the trend reverses itself with time. They were doing similar in industry also. A large corporation where I retired from contracted out a lot--got rid of HR and continues to find ways of cutting jobs--shareholders benefit and bonuses are awarded. This is hardly new, it's a process going on for decades but it now hits above middle management.
 
Where is the money going?

Carla said:
Yes, they do have to train. This particular U decided to go back in house to fill jobs, I am not certain why. My son received three very nice letters of reference and could have applied for his job except it was changed so much he didn't want it. Maybe the trend reverses itself with time. They were doing similar in industry also. A large corporation where I retired from contracted out a lot--got rid of HR and continues to find ways of cutting jobs--shareholders benefit and bonuses are awarded. This is hardly new, it's a process going on for decades but it now hits above middle management.
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It is nothing new but I find it ironic or even hypocritical for a company or college whose job it is to train people for the work force is laying off workers themselves. Big college is big business. I get they want to save money but they are already making quite the subsidized living from state taxes, federally backed loans, misc grants and scholarships so where is all the money going.

Where is all the money going at the UC? They won't tell anyone. The University of California has been fighting full disclosure of expenses and fought state legislation saying they should do so.

http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/UC-resists-law-requiring-disclosure-of-5895688.php

Until there is a full accounting there should be no hiring or firing.
 
Disney had a similar deal a coupla years ago.

I don't understand how it can happen. My understanding is that the visas are only issued in instances where a qualified American worker is not available. Seems like the law needs either enforcement and/or changes.
 
Ray said:
Disney had a similar deal a coupla years ago.

I don't understand how it can happen. My understanding is that the visas are only issued in instances where a qualified American worker is not available. Seems like the law needs either enforcement and/or changes.
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So do the laws that prevent the hiring of undocumented immigrants -- here those laws are mostly just given a wink and a nod, unless somebody makes a big fuss and forces the Dept. of Labor to do something about it -- then they get interested for a while, but not for long and soon things are back as they were.
 
Butterfly - you may be right. Both issues could be a simple matter of enforcing the laws as they exist. People always look for sweeping changes, major legislative efforts, comprehensive reform, etc. when the answer is really very simple.
 
Ray said:
Butterfly - you may be right. Both issues could be a simple matter of enforcing the laws as they exist. People always look for sweeping changes, major legislative efforts, comprehensive reform, etc. when the answer is really very simple.
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I agree with you, Ray, up to a point. We're talking about a university but this is a drop in the bucket compared with the various techniques used by big corporations and agribusinesses to either move their operations overseas or bring in migrant workers en mass. Laws SHOULD be enforced but for the people who violate these laws, ie. the business leaders who hire the undocumented, but the penalties should be extended jail time. Forget the fines. Most of these people that carry out these hirings pay the relatively (to them) minor fines involved. Stiff jail sentences with no plea bargains involved would go a long way to tightening the existing laws.
 

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