TSMC Faces Opposition to 500 Taiwanese Worker Visas for Arizona Fab

TSMC
(Image credit: TSMC)

TSMC is facing opposition over its decision to bring 500 workers from Taiwan to its delayed Arizona fab to complete installation. The fab is not set to come online until 2025. An Arizonian labor union and two political action committees (PACs) have started a campaign to prevent foreign workers from obtaining visas and coming to the country, reports AppleInsider

The "Stand with American Workers" campaign, backed by Arizona Pipe Trades 469 (a labor union), Revitalize Arizona (a PAC), and Residents for Accountability (a PAC) is urging residents to contact local congressional and senate leaders. They demand that TSMC's foreign worker visas be denied, insisting that the company should employ locals, especially given the CHIPs Act's implication of predominant U.S. employment.

"The CHIPS Act promised to amp up domestic manufacturing, generate employment opportunities, fortify supply chains, and bolster emerging industries," a statement by the campaign reads. "Instead, Arizona workers are getting the boot in favor of cheap labor, taking a major toll on American workers and their families."

The campaign claims TSMC is showing disregard for American labor and the CHIPs Act's principles. Arizona Pipe Trades 469 additionally argues that TSMC is prioritizing profits over worker safety and falsely portrays the skills of the Arizona workforce. They offer a formal letter for individuals to send to representatives, emphasizing these points.

TSMC workers relocating to the U.S. require EB-2 visas, reserved for those with 'exceptional ability.' The Arizona Pipe Trades 469 union believes this is a breach of TSMC's commitment to American jobs and has petitioned Congress to block these visas. 

Nonetheless, TSMC reiterated its respect for local trade unions and its intention not to replace local workers with foreign staff. TSMC emphasizes that the addition of 500 skilled professionals from Taiwan will not impact the hiring of 12,000 local employees or TSMC's broader U.S. recruitment plans. 

Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

  • Li Ken-un
    The solution is simple: a skill showdown.

    Winners get the jobs.
    Reply
  • noobzilla771
    Exactly how much and how many locals have fab experience? Fab process is highly complex and those experienced TSMC workers are needed not only to train Americans properly but also to make sure things run smoothly and become successful. I'm American and I support bringing over these 500 people.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    Li Ken-un said:
    The solution is simple: a skill showdown.

    Winners get the jobs.
    yes & no.

    this specifically is also a cultural difference.

    and falsely portrays the skills of the Arizona workforce.

    asian work expectations/ethics are vastly different from US ones in field.
    Reply
  • PEnns
    There is a lot of conjecture here.

    The reasons could be:
    Not enough skilled labor in that area for such a high tech factory
    There is skilled labor but the pay is enough for Asians eventually going back to Taiwan - but not enough for Americans (i.e. cost of living)

    Reply
  • peachpuff
    Li Ken-un said:
    The solution is simple: a skill showdown.

    Winners get the jobs.
    Target practice? 😂
    Reply
  • Elusive Ruse
    The US government funding TSMC's labour camps.
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    noobzilla771 said:
    Exactly how much and how many locals have fab experience? Fab process is highly complex and those experienced TSMC workers are needed not only to train Americans properly but also to make sure things run smoothly and become successful. I'm American and I support bringing over these 500 people.
    There are more than enough experienced workers in Arizona. The problem is that TSMC doesn't want to pay enough to hire them away from competitors. So this is purely an effort to drive down wages by importing cheap labor.
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    PEnns said:
    There is a lot of conjecture here.

    The reasons could be:
    Not enough skilled labor in that area for such a high tech factory
    There is skilled labor but the pay is enough for Asians eventually going back to Taiwan - but not enough for Americans (i.e. cost of living)
    There is plenty of labor in that area. Just not at the price TSMC wants.
    Your 2nd bullet is the correct one. The pay is not enough. The whole point of the union's argument is exactly this. They need to pay, more than they want, and are therefore trying to undermine labor prices by importing cheaper labor from another country.
    Reply
  • sivaseemakurthi
    Lol, TSMC will not build fab in US again.
    Reply
  • tamalero
    sivaseemakurthi said:
    Lol, TSMC will not build fab in US again.
    Depends on how TSMC and corporate gets allowed to stomp the rights of the workers.
    Look at Amazon...
    Reply