Wrong move: Outsourcing IT jobs at TVA is irresponsible
President Donald Trump said during his inaugural address that his government would follow two simple rules: “Buy American and hire American.” He’s breaking that pledge here in Tennessee.
The Trump administration has recently moved to prevent most foreign workers from entering the U.S., but Trump hasn’t objected to the opposite happening -- laying off Americans and sending American jobs overseas -- at the federally-owned Tennessee Valley Authority.
In the middle of a devastating economic collapse, TVA is planning to outsource as many as 220 critical information technology jobs to three firms: Capgemini, a Paris-based firm with more than 100,000 employees in India; CGI, based in Canada; and Accenture, based in Ireland.
TVA is claiming that its contracts “require” work be performed in the United States. How much of it will be done by foreign workers under H1-B visas? Our union, which represents the workers who will lose their jobs, asked for copies of these contracts. Not only did TVA refuse our requests, it is requiring that our members train their foreign replacements. Furthermore, TVA announced the decision to sign contracts with foreign firms without paying any attention to our detailed plan to keep tech jobs in Tennessee. TVA is supposed to operate as a public trust, but it can’t be trusted. At a time of massive unemployment, with Congress spending trillions of dollars to get Americans back to work, it’s outrageous that this federal utility is giving pink slips to U.S. workers. Sixty-two highly skilled, dedicated TVA workers received layoff notices in early June. At the end of the month, another 38 TVA information technology workers were let go.
Outsourcing increases cybersecurity risks
Outsourcing utility jobs to foreign companies needlessly increases cybersecurity risks. A 2019 assessment from the U.S. Government Accountability Office warned that the electric grid was vulnerable to terrorists, criminal groups and nations. We know from numerous published news stories that Russia,
Iran and China have been trying to infiltrate our power grid. Only last month, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency over this hacking threat.
Sending crucial IT jobs to overseas firms and outside TVA – where we will lose control of crucial technology needed to secure our nation’s electrical grid – would be a dumb idea any day of the week. To do it now, when we are under threat of attack and millions of Americans are desperate for work, is worse than dumb. It’s irresponsible. It’s not saving anybody any money, either. TVA has admitted that ratepayers will not save a single dollar if our members lose their jobs. TVA says not to worry because cybersecurity jobs will remain inside TVA. That’s like saying, “I live in a highcrime neighborhood. I will leave my doors unlocked, but I own a baseball bat.”
Union opposes outsourcing IT jobs
Our union is opposing TVA’S outsourcing in various ways. We have held a series of outdoor demonstrations, such as one in Huntsville on June 23 week and in Chattanooga and Knoxville the previous week. In each city, to practice social distancing, we made large signs featuring silhouettes of TVA workers who will soon become unemployed courtesy of TVA.
We’re not alone in our protesting TVA’S actions. Rep. Mo Brooks, a Republican, says it’s “folly” to send jobs overseas that may give outsiders the capability to disrupt our electrical grid. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat, finds it “incomprehensible” that TVA is laying off hardworking Americans while the U.S. economy is in free-fall.
While legislators from both sides of the aisle have raised concerns, we haven’t heard anything from Trump, even though protecting American jobs is a signature issue of his administration. The TVA board, which has oversight and the ability to reverse this decision, also has remained quiet. Here in Tennessee, our union is going to keep making noise and sounding the alarm. It’s the least we can do for our co-workers, who have spent their entire careers working to keep the lights on in the Tennessee Valley.
Matt Biggs is the secretary-treasurer and legislative director of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, a labor union representing 90,000 workers, including 2,500 highlyskilled professionals employed by TVA and represented by the Engineering Association, IFPTE Local 1937.