CWA, AT$T, Homeland Security, H-1B, and TATA

Date: Thursday, August 01, 2002 3:05 PM

*** H-1B NEWSLETTER ***

Get the Facts on H-1B at
www.ZaZona.com

At first I thought that AT$T was a misprint of AT&T, but now I realize how
appropriate that character change is.

AT$T acknowledges that they are training H-1Bs as strikebreakers. CWA
(Communication Workers of America) also warns that these H-1Bs are being
trained in critical technologies that affect our National Security. These
H-1Bs are coming from TATA, the largest of the bodyshops. TATA is Indian
owned and doesn't hire Americans - even if they are Indians that are
naturalized citizens. TATA must feel that Indians that are US citizens are
tougher to exploit than their younger counterparts in Bangalore.

AT$T's response to the CWA alert is a disgrace. They immediately threatened
to fire anyone that talks about this subject to the press. As further
retaliation they have contacted a law firm and threatened to use the Federal
Economic Espionage Act to harass CWA. They have also filed a lawsuit against
CWA for sending email about this to employees although this wasn't mentioned
in the letter below.

The link between India and Iraq cannot be overlooked since the US is so
casual about inviting H-1Bs here to learn our advanced communication
technologies. India and Iraq are possibly sharing technlogies with each
other. After the CWA letter I have included two articles about these
disturbing events. Does this quote make you nervous, "The Minister of State
for Communications Shri Tapan Sikdar said that India has stood by Iraq all
the time and will continue to so in the future."

Following that is an article about Chinese TV being hacked by the Falun
Gong. We can only speculate how the Falun Gong figured out how to hack the
satellite. Perhaps some of them worked in China or perhaps they gained
expertise in the US working as H-1Bs. There is good reason to believe that
the AT$T H-1Bs have far more potential than Falun Gong for espionage and
terrorism.

Also check out AT&T: A Terrorist Company? at
http://immigration.about.com/library/weekly/aa031902a.htm

Chicago CWA Local Warns Against Homeland Security

CWA, the Union for the information age, recognizes the combination of new
technologies and competitive Global marketplace bring both new opportunities
and new vulnerabilities to our nation's critical communications and
information infrastructure.

The catastrophic events of September 11, 2001 have exposed serious
shortcomings in our Homeland Security and the Sovereignty of America's
borders.

The Congress of the United States enacted the H-1B Visa Program and
Immigration Act of 1990 with little opposition from American labor
organizations. Since passage of this legislation, American and foreign
global corporations such as AT$T, Quest, Tata Consultancy Services and many
others have circumvented the intent of Congress by using loopholes in the
H-1B Visa Program to replace tens of thousands of American workers.

In January 2002, the Communications & Technologies Bargaining Unit became
aware of the fact that an outsourcing firm from India was providing H-1B
foreign nationals as contract workers to AT$T in Oakbrook, Illinois. After
the initial investigation by Local 4250 and 4998, we discovered that foreign
nationals were being trained by AT$T management to be used as replacement
workers in the event CWA members were forced to strike against AT$T on May
11, 2002. AT$T's only response to CWA inquiries was that it was an AT$T
contingency plan in the event CWA/AT$T workers went on strike. After further
investigation, we discovered AT$T was also training H-1B foreign nationals
in White Plaines, New York and Pleasanton, California. The work the foreign
nationals were being trained to perform required access to every AT$T 4E and
5E switching machine in the United States. Performing our provisioning and
maintenance work would give foreign nationals the potential to access our
countries military, financial, utilities,transportation and emergency
services which utilized AT$T?s nationwide network. We have reason to believe
AT$T?s contingency plan would allow foreign nationals access to its network,
from offshore work locations, access that could feasibly jeopardize our
national and economic security. To this date, AT$T has refused to provide
CWA representatives with answers about this contingency plan and its
potential threat to our national security.

We tried using the grievance procedure to get answers from AT$T. The ONLY
question AT$T answered during the grievance procedure was that TATA
corporation was providing the contract workers. We also lobbied Congress
during our annual legislative conference in March 2002 regarding AT$T's
training of foreign nationals and its potential threat to our Homeland
Security. Subsequent to our lobbying efforts, AT$T issued an AT$T Today
electronic e-mail threatening employees with discipline, up to and including
dismissal, if any employee discussed this issue with the press and/or
members of Congress.

Because of AT$T refusal to answer ANY questions on this issue and threats of
discipline, 24,000 AT$T employees and contractors were e-mailed a letter
requesting the information that AT$T had refused to provide. This letter was
from myself and Local Presidents Keith Adams, Local 4351, Dan Danaher, Local
4998, Mary Lou Algiere, Local 1153 and Kathy Kinchus, Local 9415.

In late May, AT$T's Vice President of Labor Relations agreed to respond to
CWA concerns and questions in writing. On May 28, 2002, CWA Vice President
Ralph Maly wrote a letter requesting the information our joint letter
requested, in addition to several other questions and concerns. On June 14,
2002, Vice President Maly received a condescending and inane reply from Fred
Murray, AT$T? s Vice President of Labor Relations, and no answers to our
questions as he had promised.

On the same day, June 14, 2002, a Washington, DC law firm representing AT$T
faxed Keith Adams, Dan Danaher, Mary Lou Algeire, Kathy Kinchis and me a
letter stating that AT$T believes; Our actions may have violated the Federal
Economic Espionage Act which authorizes a fine and imprisonment. AT$T
demands that you cease and desist immediately from any further effort to
solicit AT$T employees and contractors to provide you with the information
you have described in your communications.

SISTER and BROTHER DELEGATES - WE WILL NOT CEASE! - WE WILL NOT DESIST! - WE
WILL FIGHT BACK!

FIGHT BACK!

Thank you for your support of Resolution 64A-02-5.

Steve Tisza, President
Local 4250 Chicago

Dennis J. Gannon, President

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/001023/2000102344.html

India - Iraq Joint Commission to Meet Soon
Iraq-India, Politics, 10/23/2000

The next meeting of the Indian - Iraqi joint commission to examine expanding
cooperation in diversified areas shortly, says Indian news agency "PTI."
Officials of the two countries are meeting in Baghdad this week to prepare
the ground for the commission's meeting.

Head of the Indian delegation, an official at the foreign department will
meet his Iraqi counterpart, permanent under-secretary in the foreign
ministry, Nabil Najam, and call on foreign minister Mohamed Essahaf, Trade
Minister Mohamed Mehdi Saleh, Deputy Prime Minister Kikmat Ibrahim
Al-Azzavi.

http://www.andhranews.net/india/jun2001/30.asp

INDIA AND IRAQ SET UP JOINT WORKING GROUP ON COMMUNICATIONS
NEW DELHI OFFERS IRAQ HELP IN MANUFACTURING CONSULTANCY AND R&D IN TELECOM
SECTOR

New Delhi ~ July 5, 2001

An Iraqi delegation led by the Minister of Transport and Communications
Dr.Ahmad Al Khalil called on the Minister of Communications Shri Ram Vilas
Paswan here today. During the talks Shri Paswan referred to the historical
and traditional ties between the two countries and expressed concern at the
enormous human suffering and hardship caused by sanctions against Iraq. He
reiterated India's support to Iraq for its independence sovereignty and
territorial integrity. He said that India has consistently advocated lifting
of the UN sanctions against Iraq through articulations in UN and various
other fora. Indicating that India would like to further strengthen its ties
with Iraq Shri Paswan suggested for cooperation in the Training
manufacturing consultancy and R&D sectors. He said that India has an
excellent network of training centers having 43 training centers spread
across the country.

He said "The Advance Level Telecom Training Center (ALTTC) is a world-class
training institution equipped with the most modern training facilities. He
also said that with the large pool of technical experts available in the
country India can cater to the telecom equipment requirements of Iraq. Shri
Paswan also mentioned about the telephone exchanges developed by C-DOT which
are rugged and operate in adverse environmental conditions. He said that
India has been very successful in providing consultancy in setting up
telecom network in a number of countries. R&D Development could also be
taken up jointly", he said.

The Minister of State for Communications Shri Tapan Sikdar said that India
has stood by Iraq all the time and will continue to so in the future. The
Iraqi Minister expressed his happiness at the cooperation extended by India
and said that his country would look forward to collaborations in the fields
in which India has expertise. He specifically appreciated India's political
support in the efforts to lift sanctions.

Later both the sides held delegation level talks and decided to form a Joint
Working Group on Communications under the overall framework of India-Iraq
Joint Commission. The Joint Working Group will consist of representatives of
Department of Telecom Department of Posts and Ministry of External Affairs
besides representatives from Telecom PSUs and CII and FICCI. Iraqi side will
also nominate their representatives for the Working Group.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0207090078jul09.story

Falun Gong jams official Chinese TV

Brief broadcast of video begins 8-day intrusion

The Washington Post

July 9, 2002

BEIJING -- The banned Falun Gong spiritual movement jammed one of China's
main television satellites for eight days and briefly beamed a video into
millions of homes during last month's World Cup soccer finals, the
government said Monday.

The hijacking of the government's Sinosat-1 satellite disrupted television
transmissions from June 23 to 30 and scratched plans for a live broadcast of
a speech by President Jiang Zemin. It was the latest act of defiance by a
group that has survived a three-year campaign of repression and the most
sophisticated challenge so far to the Communist Party's control of the
media.

Chinese officials said Falun Gong members began bombarding the satellite
with illegal signals shortly after 7 p.m. on June 23, interrupting
transmission of nine national channels and 10 provincial stations to rural
areas without access to regular television broadcasts. Television screens
went blank for several minutes and then began displaying a Falun Gong video
with images of followers meditating in a stadium and a plaza. Officials said
the video was cut off after 20 seconds and was replaced by a blank screen
again.

Chinese officials declined to say how many people were affected, but
Sinosat-1 is central to a project launched in 1998 to expand television
access to the nation's most remote regions. More than 70 million people in
100,000 villages rely on it, according to the government.

The government said frequent interference with its broadcasts continued
until June 30, but offered no other details. A Hong Kong-based human-rights
group reported that Falun Gong managed to transmit its material into Chinese
homes at least one more time, with viewers in some parts of China seeing 15
minutes of its propaganda. That occurred June 25.

Falun Gong members have interrupted Chinese broadcasts before, hacking into
cable systems in several cities this year. But taking over a satellite
signal is much more complicated.

Countries have jammed satellite transmissions for political reasons, but it
is unusual for an independent group to do so, and rare if not unprecedented
for anyone to hijack a satellite signal, said Roger Smith, an official with
the Geneva-based international organization that regulates satellite
communications.

"This is extremely despicable and represents yet another crime committed by
the Falun Gong cult organization," said Liu Lihua, a top broadcast official
in the Ministry of Information Industry. "We call on the international
community to jointly condemn this mean act."

Liu said the government has evidence implicating "overseas-based Falun Gong
cult organizations manipulated and directed by Li Hongzhi," the leader of
the Buddhist-like sect who lives in New York. But Liu declined to present
the evidence and acknowledged the government was still trying to trace the
source of the signals.

Levi Browde, a Falun Gong spokesman, denied Li organized the satellite
hijacking, and described it as a grass-roots attempt to fight government
propaganda.

"The state-run media is one of the strongest weapons the government uses to
persecute people and incite hatred," he said. "These people are trying to
get the truth out."

Christian Lyngemark, who runs a clearinghouse for technical data on
satellite channels, said the Falun Gong members appeared to have overpowered
the government's signal with their own, which would require a large
satellite dish and expensive equipment.

Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune

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