Immigration-Double Edged Sword

I just received an email from NumbersUSA.com on another immigration bill congress is trying to pass. It's the H-1B bill to increase foreign workers in tech, nursing, physical therapy, engineering and science fields.

I have to RANT a little as I know some of this to be true... I work in California, yes California. But I do bring my moola back to Idaho! I am a nurse and I do work along side of foreign nurses. While some of them are good nurses some are not, that goes for any other nurse for that matter.

What I do know, being educated in California myself, is that the nursing schools have waiting lists a mile long. So what happens when foreign nurses come swarming in? Our lines get longer on the college wait list, foreign nurses will work for lower wages (if their employer is not in a union) and then they bring in their relatives and friends on visas who take the other skilled or non-skilled jobs. Someday your kid won't even be able to work at Burger King or Taco Bell after school ?

Nurses are sent here usually by some contract to work in states like Texas where there is no union and are trained. They work under some grueling circumstances from the stories I have been told. Once they have the "experience"under their belt and fulfilled their obligation they come to CA where there are "ratios" for nursing and a union. Ratio Ex: The ICU where I work is a 1:2 ratio, one nurse, two patients-no ifs ands or buts. Med Surgical is 1:5.

Here's the double edged sword part.....
I have seen the foreign nurse I work with bring in six nursing friends who she sponsors on visas, not to mention relatives. I know this as she has asked me to help her write the sponsor letters !!! I have to hand it to her though, she is a pretty smart cookie. And don't think she's the only one that does this. They trade off bringing the Mom or Mother in Law here for six months to babysit the kids and help with the house while they work. And I mean they work! They take the overtime no one wants, do the double shifts and work at two hospitals. They sign up for holidays for double pay. In the CNA (union) they are making avg. base rate $55.00/hr you add differential pay for night work and extra pay for charge nurse duties and then top it off with overtime you're making a big fat paycheck. No wonder she lives in a 1.2 million dollar home and I don't. Her husband is also a nurse so double those figures I just gave you!!!

So basically what I am trying to say is that we need to start steppin up to the plate and take a stand for ourselves as US citizens. If we don't want our jobs taken over by foreign workers then we must let our congress know. What do you think?