Retraining For Jobs That Don't Exist Or Pay Little. TRA A Fraud.

[TheMastersNemesis]

When I worked at DOL the "trade readjustment training" was a joke. All TRA does is give these phony schools a free ride. And my experience with TRA was that jobs retrained for did not exist, were not numerous enough and paid much less the former jobs lost to foreign countries.

Plus I bet Obama would sign a bill that makes immigration work visas unlimited and permanent. That means Americans will continue to be forced to retrain their foreign replacements. And it also means that foreign based contractors will be able to operate in the US selling companies cheap "contract" jobs bringing immigrants.

And the meme will continue that if you are an American worker who is against giving his or her job to an immigrant makes you anti immigration and immigrant and essentially a racist.

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO FUCKING WAKE UP ABOUT OUR OWN LEGISLATORS FAVORING EVEN POTENTIAL ENEMIES.

ADDENDUM: To add insult to injury the new TRA bill would take money from Medicare to pay for the fraud. Any Dem voting for it should be run off the stage. It is bad enough the GOPPERS love it.

[AngryAmish]

1. Giving phony schools a free ride is the point

Look at who the schools employees give money to. Who are their lobbyists?

White collar patronage.

[TheMastersNemesis]

2. Most Trainees Are No Better Off After Training & Many $$$$$$$$$$$$

The private schools are grand theft of tax money.

[Dustlawyer]

19. I think the "Retraining" will go something like what Florida Governor, Slick Rick Scott, had

to do for the isolated oyster fisherman community of 2,500 people of Eastpoint, Florida. This community had their livelihood ripped out from under them when BP had the Coast Guard spray tons of Corexit (dispersant) to sink the oil from the Gulf oil spill to the bottom of the floor of the Gulf. It killed their oysters. This community is surrounded by a huge national forest and has no other industry.

Slick Rick, not known for his generosity, put the entire community on welfare. He paid them $330 a week if they either: studied and took the GED; entered training to be either a truck driver, welder, or prison guard.

This is a community used to having the kids drop out of school in the 6th grade (half still cannot read) to go work with their moms, dads, and grandparents on little oyster boats. They would make between $200-$400 a day. They have no skills and only about 5% even own a computer.

Our future jobs in America will be pretty much like the Oystermen and women of Eastpoint, truck drivers and prison guards. The welding presupposes that these individuals will move out of their community as there is no work for welders anywhere close to home.

I voted for Obama twice, hoping he would do what he promised. While he did do some great things, he also answered to Wall Street and Big Business (including BP) first and foremost. We cannot keep supporting politicians who answer to their Donors first. The system needs to be changed from the bottom up to get rid of the ability of these powerful interests to run our country for their benefit. Bernie is the only answer, and to work he will need as many of us as possible to get him elected and pressure the rest of the politicians to do what they should have been doing all along, look out for the interests of ALL AMERICANS! If you support Hillary, you are saying you are ok with corporate control of the government and will take whatever they decide you should get. They will throw us a few bones like Obama did with the Affordable Care Act, while screwing us in dozens of different ways. You are also conceding the permanent loss of Representative Democracy. We don't contribute enough to buy our politicians back. If we would support Bernie in big numbers and are active in calling and writing our Representatives, we can turn things around. We cannot if we don't have the people power behind him.

Bernie, I am with you in trying to regain our Representative Democracy!

[Nay]

3. And the downward slide continues. This is how empires fall, and the US is about

to take a real dive. You know those science fiction movies where corporations own and run everything? We're in one of those movies.

Next up, reducing the population. I hope I'm dead before some horrendous virus 'accidentally' is loosed from some corp lab somewhere.

[newfie11]

4. I so agree

And yet even here on DU there are people spouting how wonderful this will be.

All I can say is their either very young (as in ignorant of NAFTA) or very wealthy.

[yallerdawg]

5. I lost my bank teller job...

to an Automated Teller Machine while Bush the First was president, long before NAFTA and unrelated to trade. If I were wealthy, would I be a Democrat? My 401K is at the local casino! Yes - I am a Democrat!

I'm not trolling you. I was just curious what a TRA was? And there you were!

Carry on.

[newfie11]

32. I don't know

I assume something to do in retraining. Ask Themastersnemesis.

[erronis]

8. What's strange about this dive is that it is planned, premeditated, known.

I would think that most of the historical crashes of empires happened without the leaders proudly at the helm steering into the maelstrom. Everyone in steerage can see the impending disaster while those on deck are lifting their glasses in a toast.

[PowerToThePeople]

16. Every restaurant is taco bell. n/t

[mother earth]

6. It is damned refreshing when someone actually speaks the truth, we have to stop cheerleading the

status f'ing quo. I'm DONE with corporate candidates, I don't give a damn which party it is, they are bringing the citizens of this country down to be on the playing level of the rest of the world, places where labor law does not exist.

Have all the people who have died to establish labor laws & unions in this country, died in vain? What fools we become when we cheerlead these politicians that bring us more of the same. It is precisely why the only real option in this election is Bernie Sanders.

K & R

[Baitball Blogger]

7. I have been saying that for sometime.

It's just a way to get public money to universities. But the government doesn't have any big plan to make sure those students are earning a degree that can really change their lives when they get that diploma.

Incredibly stupid shell game and I am embarrassed that Democrats are behind it.

[Divernan]

10. The program is for "occupational training", not university programs/degrees

TAA participants who require retraining in order to obtain suitable employment may receive occupational training if determined eligible.
http://www.esd.wa.gov/hireanemployee/layoffs/tradeact/taa-faq.php

Haven't heard anything good about the effects of this program. I'm picturing classes in:

Culinary Arts: How to Deep Fry

Marketing Skills: Can I supersize that for you?

And the "classes" can be "taught" on line.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. You don't think unis will come up with programs that will take advantage

of the money?

I see it coming. These jobs often involve professional careers in nursing. Don't universities have programs for that profession?

[Divernan]

14. Yes, but I don't think they will lead to degrees, which you referred to

Heard about a certificate program in "construction management" at U. Cal Berkley, but the guy signed up for it was paying tuition.

Estimated Cost
Each course is priced individually, and you pay the course fee at the time of enrollment. The certificate has an estimated cost of $5,100–$5,900 (not including course materials or registration fee). Course fees are subject to change.

Prerequisites for Admission
There are no formal prerequisites for the Certificate Program in Construction Management, but a bachelor's degree or previous construction experience is recommended.

The curriculum comprises 5 core courses (10 semester units) and 60 hours of electives (2–4 courses) for a total of 14 semester units (210 hours of instruction). Candidates must pay a nonrefundable certificate registration fee.

All courses must be taken for a letter grade. To receive the certificate, you must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, with a grade of C or better (no C- grades) in each course. A Certificate With Distinction will be awarded to those who complete the certificate with a GPA of 3.7 or higher. All coursework must be completed within five years of registering for the certificate.

http://extension.berkeley.edu/cert/const.html

[Nay]

27. Of course, this sort of certificate is for someone who is already in the

construction trades (framer, electrician, plumber, crew lead, etc.) since NO certificate that requires just 5 courses is meant for someone who knows nothing about construction/is illiterate/innumerate. The sort of 'certificates' that will be offered (at big prices, too, since the taxpayer is paying) will be fakey or lead to jobs like home health aide, etc. If they open more nursing schools and send a bunch of people through, you will see nursing wages crash and experienced nurses leave or retire early. Any job that now pays well will be targeted for oversupply, but only if they think that far ahead. They may just care about skimming education $$$.

[riderinthestorm]

9. The meme is already out there that one is "xenophobic" and racist if opposed to TPP

Ive seen it on other threads - it's a slimy talking point and crafted to directly slam liberals who oppose this trade deal.

[840high]

20. Yes - we never loved Obama.

[Skittles]

34. we don't care about the "foreign poor"

I swear that DUer has to be paid to push such utter CRAP

[whatthehey]

11. If anybody wants facts, here's a good link

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/forbrn.nr0.htm

My favorite nugget, which seems to have flown over the heads of H1-B haters (along with knowledge of the program's regulations) is this:

The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education. In
2014, foreign-born workers age 25 and over with less than a high school education earned
$463 per week, while those with a bachelor’s degree and higher earned about 2.6 times as
much--$1,222 per week. Among the native born, those with a bachelor’s degree and higher
earned about 2.3 times as much as those with less than a high school education--$1,188
versus $517 per week.


So in other words moderately well-educated and above immigrants actually make slightly more than US-born counterparts. It's the very low end of the spectrum who lose out to lower paid immigrants.

[cuncator]

22. Huh?

So in other words moderately well-educated and above immigrants actually make slightly more than US-born counterparts. It's the very low end of the spectrum who lose out to lower paid immigrants.

Did you miss all the stories recently about IT workers training their H1-B replacements? Here's a few links in case you have:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2879083/southern-california-edison-it-workers-beyond-furious-over-h-1b-replacements.html
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2490610/it-outsourcing/this-it-worker-had-to-train-an-h-1b-replacement.html

I've worked in technology for over twenty years and have seen this coming down the pipe for a while. Shocking that younger people currently lack interest in STEM careers when the pay is insufficient to cover college costs and will most likely be outsourced anyway.

[brentspeak]

23. If you're going to shill for the job-sucking H1-B program

You could probably do better than recite a BLS statement which admits that foreign-born imported workers with bachelor's degrees make more than their US-born counterparts who also have bachelor's degrees.

[jeff47]

29. Foreign-born != H1B

Just because they were born outside the US doesn't mean they have an H1B visa.

Due to the time-limited nature of the H1B visa, foreign-born people under other programs are going to outnumber H1Bs. H1B visas result in a 3 or 6-year churn of people. So people who entered the US on an H1B visa in 2009 are now leaving the country (or remaining illegally).

You should probably become more familiar with the program you are defending before taking on the "haters". Especially us "haters" who deal with the program every single day.

[aggiesal]

30. Also, ...

H1B's are obligated to work within the tech industry which does pay better than most.

But US born engineers, who can't find tech positions, are sometimes relegated to doing
food service jobs, like waiters, cooks, fast-food workers ... and others do construction
work, or ...
These positions don't pay nearly as much as a tech position.

And I'm willing to bet that these numbers are factored into the US born engineers who
can't find positions, while H1B holders have to work in the tech industry. So, it does
make salaries for H1B's appear higher then US engineers.

[Omaha Steve]

13. Thanks for posting

K&R!

[Renew Deal]

15. Is TRA the same thing as TAA?

[Recursion]

33. TRA is the concept; TAA is the implementing law (nt)

[antigop]

17. and what the hell are laid off engineers and IT people who jobs have been outsourced supposed to do?

What, exactly, are they supposed to train for -- especially if they are in their 40's or 50's?

[Bradical79]

24. We're hiring at Lowes

The pay sucks and it'll probably ruin your body. Being scheduled different times and days every week kind of sucks too. On the plus side, 10% employee discount! At least for now.

I'm only half joking. It's a little depressing when hearing about the education level of some of my fellow employees over the years

[antigop]

25. yep. Laid-off colleagues are at Home Depot. nt

[Thespian2]

18. K & R

Please understand...corporations of all colours and stripes do not care one whit about American people and their jobs...politicians, on the other hand, must pretend to care when they face re-election...

[jwirr]

21. So agree. As I said yesterday - the only protection workers are going to get in this TPP deal is

the TAA and it is not worth the paper it is written on.

[Sanity Claws]

26. Trade Adjustment Act provides the same phony retraining as workers comp

I bring this up because the issue is broader. Workers who need to retraining due to an injury or due to trade are up the same shit creek without a paddle.
I have seen workers retrained for jobs that basically don't exist or jobs for which there was intense competition. Employers when presented with a choice were not choosing the retrained workers.

Was it because the workers were older? Or was it because the retraining schools were shitty? I don't know.

[azmom]

28. They will retrain you for work at wallmart.

[hifiguy]

31. This isn't even putting lipstick on the pig.

It is just saying that someday lipstick might be put on the pig.

Meantime, here's your faceful of mud and boot in the teeth. Forget about getting the pig.