More H-1B Fraud From Cognizant
Happy New Year Citizens, You've Been Replaced
A recent lawsuit against Cognizant has highlighted the misuse surrounding H-1B visas. Foreign workers are displacing qualified Americans in the U.S. tech industry. Subscribe for uncensored journalism from a single, dedicated source.
Cognizant has a reputation as a major abuser of the H-1B program in the United States. Its massive import of low-wage, inexperienced talent places it near the top. This makes sense, as now they're under scrutiny due to their illegal visa practice.
In a lawsuit, a jury found them guilty. They discriminate against their US employees in favor of Eastern Indian H-1B workers.
These individuals (H-1B Indians) are given first — if not exclusive — preference for new U.S. positions, as they become available,” the lawsuit claimed. “Non-Indians are disproportionately relegated to the bench, as jobs are given to … Indians. (Staff. 2024, Industrial Insider California)
They force their U.S. workers onto a bench with a policy claiming termination if a person sits for five weeks. The same happened to me at IBM a few years back. The manager didn't help find other roles. Instead, I was directed to an internal job board. I was responsible for finding my engagements. And if no assignment could be found, you're let go. It's a scam. Other employees I spoke with at IBM told me the boards were a waste of time. They didn't work unless you had connections with others in the company. Being new and a citizen, I was eventually let go. Not due to my skill set, but the management team playing games favoring their H-1B and Indian brethren. This is the same game Cognizant plays, as seen in the suit.
Piroumian, a highly experienced software engineer, started at Cognizant in 2012 and “was repeatedly removed from positions servicing Cognizant clients prematurely and replaced with less qualified, Indian … employees,” the lawsuit alleged. In mid-2017, the company “benched” him, then, following company policy to terminate employees after more than five weeks on the bench, fired him six weeks later, the lawsuit claimed. (Staff. 2024, Industrial Insider California)
Other tactics include assigning key roles to Indian workers to reduce costs and excluding citizens from meetings. This keeps non-Indian employees out of the loop and restricts their ability to find other positions when forced onto the bench.
Sadly, many of these H-1B Big Tech sweatshops abuse the H-1B process for profit. Cognizant is no stranger. Its payroll includes a large percentage of visa holders.
Many do not realize that when Americans are displaced, they lose their source of income. They're trapped with nowhere to flee, unlike the H-1B worker. They also lose their medical insurance. With the price of Cobra for a husband and wife toppling $2-3k a month, they go without. But Big Tech and these Indian firms don't care. They want their low-skilled indentured servants for high profit margins.
We must address these issues and hold companies accountable. Boycott any enterprise that displaces citizens in favor of foreign workers. Raise awareness at every opportunity. Only then will the discrimination against US citizens be stopped.
Source
Staff. 2024. “Jury Finds Discrimination in H-1B Visa Tech Worker Case.” Industry Insider California, October 8, 2024, sec. News.