Rep. Chu Statement Regarding Southern California Edison Layoffs

Washington, D.C. – Last year, Southern California Edison (SCE) announced that they would begin layoffs of about 500 information technology workers. Reports indicate that some of those jobs will be replaced by temporary guest workers through the H-1B program. The temporary workers are being contracted by Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, two of the largest users of the H-1B visa program. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), whose district includes the SCE headquarters, issued the following statement:

“It is a tragedy for the San Gabriel Valley that 500 loyal workers of Southern California Edison are losing their jobs,” said Rep. Chu. “It is of great concern to me that these workers are being replaced by H-1B visa holders, a program which is actually meant to fill a void for specialized workers but only when there is no qualified American worker for that job. Replacing American workers with temporary foreign workers for the purpose of driving wages down most definitely must not be the program’s intent. The H1B visa program can fulfill an important need, but I believe strongly that it should not be abused in this manner. We must reform the program and stop these abuses.”

The H-1B visa is a three year nonimmigrant visa that allows U.S. workers to temporarily employ foreign workers in highly specialized fields. The U.S. Department of Labor is responsible for ensuring that foreign workers hired through the H-1B program do not displace or adversely affect wages or working conditions of U.S. workers. The current cap is 65,000 visas per fiscal year.