Whenever the economy is in a slump it is usually coupled with a poor job recession. The United States has seen such a recession that even Bush’s economic stimulus is of a little help. As I look at this recession there are some things that are notably different. First of all you have some of your most intelligent workers who are unable to secure work and are actually venturing out of their academic professional experience and seeking the “I Love to do” type positions. Basically I think the sentiment has become if I’m going to be paid shit I must well as enjoy what I do versus taking the corporate bullshit. Sometimes the nourishing to your soul is much more important than the humiliation that comes along with that high salaried paycheck.
One of the most puzzling aspects of this job recession is the illusion of such a job recession that is being portrayed by the government and large corporations. You might be saying at this point, huh, what illusion?? I feel you I said the same thing. Let me tell you how the veil of this illusion was lifted from eyes. Around 2 months ago I started to ride the express bus to work you know the whole rising gas prices and all. Most of the riders on my bus are business professionals who range from black, white, Hispanic, however the majority of the riders are of Indian descent. I am guessing Middle Eastern. Not to sound racist but as my friend Julie would say “dot or feather” in this case I will say “dot.” At the beginning the majority of passengers being Indian didn’t seem odd. I deduced to the fact that some were probably here on work Visas and did not own a vehicle nor cared to, therefore public transportation was their main source of commuting not to and from their assigned positions. And although they were the majority the bus was never filled to capacity. Quite frankly I’ve been spoiled with having two cushioned seats all to myself. However, the other morning as I was enjoying my usual relaxing trip I couldn’t help but notice the bus was getting crowded. Not everyone had 2 seats to themselves. The real eye opener was when we reached the final stop before ascending onto the highway and there was a plethora of Indians. Some I recognized but many were brand new. Forgive me Lord for saying this but all I could of think is where did they all come from? My nice little relaxing bus ride became a mirror of a daily ride on the New York City subway. Crowded, congested and no elbow room. Never once has my bus had standing passengers. Yet on this very day and many thereafter, standing passengers is what we have.
Now many can say well maybe these people are taking the bus because of rising gas prices, blah, blah……But somehow I don’t think so. See I live in Charlotte, NC where we’re ranked throughout the country as #2 in banking. Most of these riders are either getting off at one of the major Bank of America or Wachovia stops. I’ve even had a few who asked me if I worked at BOA or Wachovia, so I know for sure that’s where they going. But the other thing that got to me besides the compromise of my bus ride is I thought we didn’t have any jobs???? Aren’t we going through a recession? Isn’t the unemployment rate which is now at 5.1% considered one of the highest we’ve seen in a long time? Aren’t offers being rescinded from college grads? Aren’t internships being rescinded from students? I mean with all this I’m wondering how the hell did these people get a job if according to the U.S. government and major corporations we have NONE. The more I think about it the U.S. is not in an employment recession, it’s the Employee that’s in a recession.
As these companies complain about the recession hindering their ability to hire, they have somehow managed to sustain in this market and continue to profit. One can wonder how are they able to do this without hiring your average worker to do the job. The fact is the hiring is there, but it is not to your average American citizen. Last year the U.S. granted 65,000 in H-1B Visas. This number is expected to rise to 115,000 in 2008[1]. Call me crazy but couldn’t this number be 115,000 jobs for Americans? The excuse for many companies is that Americans are not as skilled or as intelligent as these workers. If they really cared about the American worker more of these companies would invest in our educational system. Partner with our educational institutions and give insight to emerging business practices, technology, basically tell us as Americans what does a child need to know for the business world so they can be considered. Not just discount us because we don’t have the chops. I’m not a political science major or a politician but shit doesn’t anyone see this disconnect. If we are not good enough because our educational foundation is weak then isn’t it time to renovate the system. Create critical thinkers and mirror educational practices to life long skills. All I’m saying is what do these companies want as an employee, what differentiates the Indian employee from an America. These companies will tell you it’s about the need and skill that we don’t have. Personally I think this is a crock of shit. It’s not about skills; it’s about money and control.
The one commonality about U.S. business is to make money and to maintain its employees. The Indian worker is usually paid less and most likely since their temporary without benefits. Furthermore, if you ever worked with an Indian worker who has immigration hanging over his/her head, you will notice they are some of the most docile, subservient “Yes you to death’ people you’ll ever come across. I swear sometimes I think they’ll give away their first born if they could. Your average American worker knows their rights and won’t tolerate any level of disrespect. I know my white counterparts are especially well versed in labor laws. They can cite a labor law section code in a hot minute! As I look as this equation of cheap labor + control = profit, I can’t help but think of another American institution that operated on the same principle and made a killing in more ways than one. That institution was Slavery. One can argue these Indians aren’t being captured and held against their will. But the allure of coming to America despite whatever crap is given to them and if they don’t conform the reprise of going back to their corrupted, poverty ridden country is as still as much as a carrot dangling over them as whippings were to our ancestors. So the Indians come here get treated like crap, paid less and make lots of money for “ABC Corporation”, doesn’t that seem like a familiar tale! The weirdest part of it all is people think of slavery as a black/white thing. Slavery is all about the green, the green dollar that is. The same drivers that were brought to the cruelty of my ancestors is actually being imposed on the American citizen, black, white, Puerto Rican, whatever, born here, you’re now suffering here.
I hope one day the U.S. government and major corporations love the American citizen as much as they love a good profit. As the saying goes “You attract more bees with honey”. Maybe if the U.S. were a little more caring perhaps the American citizen can reciprocate and truly make this the Land of the People as it were intended to be.
[1] Information Week, Do Indian Outsourcers Misuse The H-1b Visa Programs?, May 19, 2007
