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Foreign Labor Divison should only hire ROBOTS

By Annie Banerjee

In a number of recent cases the DOL has proved again that it values form over matter. It has set up rigid rules and follows the rules rather than understanding the rationale behind it. Thus it runs contrary to the philosophy of Common Law, which gave birth to our legal system. By taking out reasonableness and a humane case by case approach, the labor certification process has been reduced to at best a farce, and at worst hurting both American employers and American labor force.

The rules dictate that the PERM application be filed within 180 days of the first advertisement. In Matter of Spires Restaurant, The Board Of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) ruled that the PERM application filed 187 days later will be denied. The 180 days is meant to be a current test of the labor market, and anything more than 180 days would be considered too old. But 7 days is de minimis and penalizing an employer for just seven days is ridiculous. There should not be a hard line rule, and each application should be judged on a reasonable standard in a case by case basis.

In another case, the DOL rules that the prevailing wage request exceeded the job requirement mentioned in the PERM form. If anything, that would generate a higher Prevailing Wage. The DOL, whose job it is to see that Americans get the job before it is given to aliens, should not mind if the employer posts a higher wage than is required for the position. In The Matter of Florida Restaurant group, LLC

The last one is equally inane. In The matter of EDWARD J. TIERNEY the position was that of a DOMESTIC worker. This was a family. The DOL required a FEIN number instead of a Social Security Number. I wonder if the family of Bill Carlson has a FEIN, and if it does, what type of business do they conduct? With all his contacts at DOL, I would not be surprised.

Of course, the DOL continues to advocate publishing in major Sunday newspapers. That really is a good thing for Employers seeking to hire Aliens. No one reads those anymore, and in a matter of time, the only major newspapers will only exist in NYC and LA areas. The rest of the country will be left with community newspapers. But the DOL will not change!

We have now a ton of personnel working at Foreign Labor division of the DOL. These people will never loose their job. Why then are they doing the work that a computer system will do just as well. I say, replace them, from Bill Carlson down to the lowest level with ROBOTS. Lets use that money for health care instead.

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer, Annie Banerjee for more details

Full post as published by US Immigration Matters on October 21, 2009 (boomark / email).