1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Well, now it's time for our daily Bloomberg labbreef exploring 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: legal issues in the news, and today Bloomberg LA host 3 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: Reig Store discusses the Trump administration's new guidelines for the 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: H one B visa program. It speaks with Bloomberg Intelligence 5 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: government analyst Caitlin Weber and Howard University professor Ron Heira. Caitlin, Uh, 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: give us just a quick overview of this program. Who 7 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: is being brought in under the program, uh, and who 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: is bringing them in? So the H one B Highly 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: Skilled Visa Program is really the US's flagship program for 10 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: specialized workers. It's capped pretty circtly at eighty five thousand 11 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:40,879 Speaker 1: per year UM. About half of those positions go to 12 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: computer related positions computer programmer, systems, analysts, engineers UM. I 13 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: think when most most Americans think about this visa program, 14 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: they probably first associated with companies like Google, Apple, But 15 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: in reality, it's these UM, these companies that are much 16 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: less familiar to Americans, like White pro and and Tata 17 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: Consulting Service is that are taking up the bulk of 18 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: these visas UM, at least for the last five years 19 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: or so. And what's even more controversial is that UM 20 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: for those India companies, you know, most of their employees 21 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: in the US are on these visas, and the type 22 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: of work that they're doing is they're going into banks 23 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: and other large firms and essentially outsourcing I T departments 24 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 1: to the H one workers. And so that's really where 25 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: a lot of the controversy has focused in recent years. 26 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: Run Do you agree with those criticisms of the program. 27 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 1: Does it seem to you that it's gotten off track 28 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: and and been too heavily tilted towards towards those outsourcing 29 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 1: programs outsourcing companies. Well, I think it has gotten off track. 30 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: I mean the intent of the program is a good one. 31 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: The intent of the program is to bring in a 32 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: guest worker, an H one V worker when you can't 33 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: find an American UH. And then to also bring in 34 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: highly specialized workers. And so those are kind of two 35 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: key elements here. First to highly specialized in reality, the 36 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: way it's choose, you don't really have to be all 37 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: that specialized to qualify. And the eligible for an H 38 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: one V essentially what you need is a bachelor's degree. UH, 39 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: And there's lots of people with bachelor's degree, so that 40 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: the hurdle isn't very high. The threshold and criteria is 41 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: not very high. And then secondly, there's no requirement to 42 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 1: actually look for American workers first. And then the third 43 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: element here is that firms can legally pay way below 44 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: market wages for these workers. And so there's a huge 45 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 1: profit incentive and it's extraordinarily profitable to bring into h 46 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: one B worker to substitute for a U S worker, 47 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: or even to replace the US worker. And as Howard 48 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: University professor Ron Hera and Bloomberg Intelligence Government analyst Caitlin 49 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: Weber speaking at the Bloomberg Law host Greg Store, you 50 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: can listen to Bloomberg Law weekdays at one pm Wall 51 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: Street Time here on Bloomberg Radio Now. Among the top 52 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: legal stories from Bloomberg Law. Federal judge has blocked to 53 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: Seattle law that would have allowed Uber and Lift drivers 54 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: to unionize. The city's ordinance was the first of its 55 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: type in the US. The Chamber of Commerce had filed 56 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:12,519 Speaker 1: suit arguing that the law improperly treats independent contractors as employees. 57 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: Uber and Lift are members of the Chamber. The law 58 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: will now be blocked while the case is decided. Twitter 59 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: and Yelp are among the social media outlets, agreeing to 60 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: pay more than five million dollars in a class action 61 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: privacy case. The California lawsuit accused the companies of harvesting 62 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: contact information from users of Apple mobile devices. The settlement 63 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: does not resolve claims against Apple that had made misleading 64 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: statements to consumers. In Oklahoma, a federal judge has dismissed 65 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: a Sierra Club lawsuit that blame fracking for a swarm 66 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: of earthquakes. The judge ruled state regulators are in a 67 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: better position to deal with fracking related earthquakes in Oklahoma 68 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: than the federal courts, saying a state agency that regulates 69 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: oil and gas drilling has responded energetically to increased seismic activity. 70 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: New dominion and units of Devon Energy and Speak Energy 71 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: had been named in that lawsuit headl On Here crossing 72 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: the Bloomberg, Kemp China has won EU antitrust approval to 73 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: acquire Synegenta. Again that just crossing the Bloomberg and Kemp 74 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: China will sell significant part of the Adama Pesticides unit 75 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: as a result. And that's this morning's Bloomberg law brief. 76 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: You can find more illegal news at Bloomberg law dot 77 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 1: com and Bloomberg BNA dot com. Attorneys will find exceptional 78 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 1: legal research and business development tools there as well. Visit 79 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Law dot com and Bloomberg BNA dot com for 80 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 1: more information.