Toys ‘R’ Us is laying off American workers and using temporary visas to bring in foreign workers to help ship out jobs overseas, the New York Times reported.
"When Congress designed temporary work visa programs, the idea was to bring in foreigners with specialized, hard-to-find skills who would help American companies grow, creating jobs to expand the economy," said the Times. "Now, though, some companies are bringing in workers on those visas to help move jobs out of the country."
H-1B visas allow employers to hire foreign professionals with the understanding that the new workers they hire will not negatively affect the working conditions of Americans or decrease their wages. Yet, global outsourcing and consulting firms have brought in foreign workers to replace American workers.
"The Toys ‘R’ Us layoffs—and others underway now at the New York Life Insurance Company and other businesses—go further," the article states. "They are examples of how global outsourcing companies are using temporary visas to bring in foreign workers who do not appear to have exceptional skills—according to interviews with a dozen current or former employees of Toys ‘R’ Us and New York Life—to help ship out jobs, mainly to India."
Additionally, American workers were forced to train the new workers. "We were asked to cooperate and show them respect and train them to do our individual job functions," said a Toys ‘R’ Us worker. "If you didn’t cooperate, you would be asked to leave."