TORAW calls it quits

Date: Friday, December 21, 2007 12:47 AM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1804 -- 12/20/2007 >>>>>

The Organization for the Rights of American Workers (TORAW) has decided to
disband. TORAW will join a growing list of defunct organizations that tried to
organize workers to change the H-1B equation.

Perhaps Bauman has endured too much work while getting too few results and not
enough support. It's not for lack of effort though -- TORAW has probably put
more effort into lobbying in Washington DC than any other organization who's
focus is on outsourcing and H-1B. Check out this diary of their lobbying
efforts:

http://www.toraw.org/Meetings%20with%20elected%20officials.htm

Take a good look at their website because it might not last more than another
week:

http://www.toraw.org

TORAW was formed six years ago by a handful of unemployed IT workers in
Connecticut. What made TORAW somewhat unique is that they weren't just trying
to appeal to high-tech workers -- their goal was to mobilize all types of
workers that are affected by H-1B/L-1 and outsourcing. At first their local
membership grew very rapidly. As word got around about TORAW's activism they
picked up members throughout the country.

They started at a local grassroots level by having local public awareness
meetings, and by getting together with with Connecticut's members of Congress
and its state representatives. One of their most notable accomplishments would
be when they got CIGNA Insurance into hot water for hiring H-1Bs. You can read
all about that by reading these archived
newsletters:

2003-05-08 Insurers are in BIG TROUBLE! - Part 2
2003-05-07 Insurers are in BIG TROUBLE!

TORAW put a lot of time and effort into lobbying Congress, even though most of
what they did was on very tight budgets and often at personal expense.
In the process they exhausted what little funds were generated from donations
and burned themselves out from the hard work and emotional stress. The
untimely death of their research director, Donna Elizabeth Cisz, exacerbated
the decline of their morale

To read about Cisz and the tribute given to her by Rep. Rosa DeLauro go
here:

http://www.toraw.org/Dedication.htm

Ironically public support for TORAW slowly dropped just when they seemed to be
making headway in the media and in Congress. As people strayed from the
organization, and vital board members resigned, cash donations that were vital
to make the organization work dried up.

For all the efforts TORAW put into grass roots advocacy their accomplishments
amounted to not much more than picking up one cosponsor for DeLauro &
Pacsrell's bill from CT. Even CIGNA eventually got off the hook.
TORAW's remaining members learned the hard way how difficult it is to affect
change in a political system that favors big-buck politics.

Personally I think TORAW's accomplishments are far larger and less tangible
than the legislative record would indicate. I'm not sure where TORAW will fit
in with the grand scheme of things, but they did raise awareness and got a lot
of publicity about the problems of H-1B/L-1 and outsourcing.
Their demise has less to do with their own passion and more to do with the
fact that Americans have shown a total indifference about organizing to save
their own jobs and livelihoods.

<<<<< Statement from John Bauman -- President of TORAW >>>>>

The board has decided to shut down the organization and we've begun the
appropriate paperwork to do so and we've removed links for donations and new
membership from our web site.

It has been a busy 6 plus years since we began our organization and we would
not have become the credible organization that we are without your help.

We thank all the organizations that we've worked over the past six years and
wish them well.

This year we met with 100 members of congress this year in DC and left
materials with another 100 to sway congress with "no results", with the
exception of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Congressman Bill Pascrell.

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