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By David O. Williams
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July 13, 2008 — The state’s labor-starved ski industry is banking on an influx of work visas for overseas lift operators, ski instructors and bus drivers that may be hopelessly mired in the heated congressional deadlock over immigration reform.
At a meeting with Sen. Ken Salazar in Eagle last week, the first question from the audience was posed by a human resources director for Vail Resorts wondering if Congress would be able to pass a returning worker exemption on H2B visas by the end of the current session, thereby freeing up thousands of additional visas.
That exemption expired last September, meaning seasonal resort workers from Australia, Austria, Argentina and all over the world who have worked at Colorado resorts within the last three seasons are counted against the H2B program’s cap of 33,000 seasonal winter visas.
“We have to remain optimistic, because this is it. We need this,” said Geraldine Link, director of public policy for the Lakewood-based National Ski Areas Association. “We’re going to keep working tirelessly to get it passed and make our voice be heard in Congress. We have a couple wrinkles because it’s an election year and there’s not a lot moving in Congress right now.”
The state’s $2.6 billion ski and tourism industry relies heavily on overseas labor to fill six-month jobs that are unattractive to domestic workers because of their seasonality, relatively low wages and the high cost of living in most mountain resorts.
In Vail last ski season officials admitted labor shortages forced them to shut the mountain down in mid-April despite record snow conditions, and some restaurants and retailers curtailed hours of operation due to the worker shortage. But in Eagle last week, Salazar wasn’t overly optimistic the H2B fix would be in place to help resorts for the coming season.
“Unfortunately, the politics of immigration are so venomous and so hot that even the small issue of worker visas has been very difficult to move forward,” he said, adding there’s still a chance the exemption could be added as a rider on an appropriations bill before the 110th Congress adjourns for the year. “I still have some hope we’ll be able to get it done this year.”
Overall, Salazar said comprehensive immigration reform will happen once a new Congress and president are in place following November’s general election – no matter who that new president is.
“Immigration is one area where we’re very fortunate to have both Barack [Obama] and John [McCain] as our nominees,” Salazar said. “I know them both very well, they’re both good friends, I’ve been in trenches with them on the immigration issue and their view on what we need to do is about the same. I’m supporting Barack, but I think on this issue that we are going to move forward.”
Salazar added that a permanent fix for the lack of H2B, H1B (skilled worker) and H2A (agricultural worker) visas would be part of any immigration reform package. But ski industry officials say it’s unfair to lump them into the overall immigration debate.
“That’s the other problem is there are groups who want comprehensive immigration reform, not just this one piece, but that really misses the mark because these are non-immigrant visas,” NSAA’s Link said.
“These are not people who are looking for a path to citizenship. They’re here for a limited timeframe and they go back to their country. That’s a requirement of the program. So it’s like apples and oranges to mix in an amnesty debate with an H2B visa debate. Unfortunately, the details are often lost in the political debate.”
Link said the current economic downturn is having no impact on the demand for labor in resort communities, where the worker pool is still very tight and tourism has remained strong because of an influx of foreign visitors taking advantage of the weak dollar.
Former state Senate president Joan Fitz-Gerald, who’s running for Congress in the district that includes many of the state’s most popular ski areas, said the visa problem cries out for a long-term federal fix.
“Communities like these need a number of H2B visas that have not been available to them, and we’ve got to get a very realistic number out there,” Fitz-Gerald said. “Because those visas are given out on an annual basis they’re used up before these communities get into high gear for ski season.”
Link said the cap of 33,000 H2B visas for seasonal winter workers will be exhausted by the end of this month and so she hopes a five-year returning worker exemption can be passed before Congress takes its August recess. In the spring there are an additional 33,000 H2B visas available for summer resort workers.
9 Comments on "Salazar says ski-resort work visas stalled by immigration debate deadlock"
jhm — July 14, 2008
When it comes to the price of hotel rooms and lift tickets the “$2.6 billion ski and tourism industry” wants free markets so they can charge what the market will bear. But when it comes to paying up for what the market demands for American labor that is a very different thing. Why is it the government’s responsible to supply this industry with what should buy with higher wages? American citizens lose jobs if this happens? What do they get for it? Nothing. Well perhaps some addition illegal aliens who overstay their visas.
jgo — July 14, 2008
That's right, jhm. There was no labor shortage. There is no labor shortage. No credible evidence of an impending highly-skilled, skilled, or un-skilled labor shortage has been produced. The employers just want more cheaper, and more more easily brow-beaten labor.
Arneis — July 24, 2008
How do you define labor shortage? Is it:
1) a shortage of people?
2) a shortage of people who can work?
3) a shortage of people willing to do the work?
Furthermore, there are lots of different types of jobs in the valley - seasonal ski operations, seasonal hotel and F&B operations and construction workers, to name a few.
Homunculus — July 25, 2008
If am employer can't get employees to step forward and accept its proposed wages, the only option is for the employer to increase its bid.
Companies don't want to increase their bid. Well they should suffer the consequences.
How easy should it be to hire foreigners over US citizens?! Especially when we have a 5.5% unemployment rate nationally.
Without H2Bs, heaven forbid, companies would have to hire US citizens as employees. I am sure we could find some in Detroit.
jnkmlsux — August 4, 2008
I'm part of the ski industry who is currently seeing the H2B visa "issue" have a direct impact on my life/work/business. 50 FULLY CERTIFIED, international ski/snowboard instructors have been forbidden to come to the US this year to work at my home resort (Telluride), and there is NO WAY we can fill all of those positions with US employees. Outdoor education/the outdoor industry is not seen as a viable "trade"/career in the US, and therefore there is a MAJOR shortage of high-level American instructors. We can get plenty of college students who would like to work for a few months, but 85% of those students would be at an entry-level position.
If you can get some folks from Detroit to ski/snowboard and teach all-terrain, and in all-conditions at a Colorado ski resort this winter, send them out. We're hurting. (And we are one of just a few.)
jnkmlsux — August 4, 2008
I'm part of the ski industry who is currently seeing the H2B visa "issue" have a direct impact on my life/work/business. 50 FULLY CERTIFIED, international ski/snowboard instructors have been forbidden to come to the US this year to work at my home resort (Telluride), and there is NO WAY we can fill all of those positions with US employees. Outdoor education/the outdoor industry is not seen as a viable "trade"/career in the US, and therefore there is a MAJOR shortage of high-level American instructors. We can get plenty of college students who would like to work for a few months, but 85% of those students would be at an entry-level position.
If you can get some folks from Detroit to ski/snowboard and teach all-terrain, and in all-conditions at a Colorado ski resort this winter, send them out. We're hurting. (And we are one of just a few.)
serialskier — August 4, 2008
Well, Hi, I am a "brown-beated fully certififed ski instructor labor" from France and just heard the news that I won't get my visa 3 days ago.
This means that:
1) I have to find a ski resort that will hire me as most of the good ones are already full now in August. (all french instructors are fully certified) Thus I'll get a second-hand choice.
2) I just passed a trainer's accreditation last winter in Vail and my school trained me all winter long and paid for my training. So they won't harvest what they sow!
3) I started to build a clientele, they are gonna have to find another instructor NOW for march if they wanna ski with somebody qualified (let me tell you fully certified instructors are NOT gonna have a day off next winter)
I'm sad when I read that I'm stealing some other american's job. Yes I don't do it for earning tons of money but my job in Vail is SO MUCH more interesting than in France. And when you know how much time you spend at work, it's quite valuable to me to be happy in mine...
As I say to my guest "I also get paid in snowflakes here"
Let's see how my ski school of Vail is gonna deal with this shortage. Off course, I would love to be paid more but, Americans need to know there's not only MONEY in life. Good Luck to my fellow manager staff!
Scottski — August 7, 2008
It is fine to reset labour laws if you do it over time and allow business to adjust. The problem you have is that the seasonal industries such as skiing rely on a supply of international seasonal workers which cannot be quickly replaced.
I know that there is now significant pressure to apply restrictions to US seasonal workers in the Australian ski industry and Diving and resorts industries.
In addition there is now a strong push among the ski tourisim marketers here in Australia to direct travelers to Japan and Canada and stay clear of the US as much as possible. This is based partially on value but also as a kickback against the two way trade issue such as raised by H2B
Perhaps it won't matter. As the US dives into recession the local ski consumer will withdraw thereby reducing demand across the Industry.
qualified and workless — December 8, 2008
This season: Qualified americans are not working because available work is being deferred to visa'd instructors. BTW, the midwest turns out more skiers than any other part of the country ...... what is wrong with putting a qualified Detroiter to work before an international???
