Ski the East

September 10th H-2B Emergency Fly-In

On July 30 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced that enough petitions already have been received to reach the congressionally mandated cap on foreign seasonal workers for the first half of the federal government’s fiscal year 2009, which begins Oct. 1, 2008. Workers seeking employment start dates prior to April 1, 2009, will have their applications for the H-2B visa program rejected.

The congressionally mandated cap of 66,000 H-2B visas — split between the summer and winter seasons — used to be supplemented by an exemption for returning workers, which was a provision of the 2005 Save our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act. A one-year extension of the act was passed in 2007, but not when the act expired again at the end of the fiscal year.

The group Save Small Business (SSS) says there’s still time to reinstate the returning-worker exemption if Congress acts fast when it reconvenes in September. SSS is organizing a "Save Small Business Fly-In" to Washington on September 10th. This is to be a lobbying blitz to urge lawmakers to do the right thing and pass the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Bill.

The Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Bill, (S.988 and H.R 1843) has 47 Senate and 154 House Co-Sponsors. According to SSS:

"No Bill in the history of the United States Congress  HAS EVER RECEIVED THIS MUCH OVERWHELMING BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT in an area related to the need of seasonal businesses for targeted foreign national temporary workers. This is a FIRST, and Congress should celebrate its work together by finally PASSING OUR BILL!!!!!"

If your Senator or Congressional Representative is not a co-sponsor of the Bill contact them and urge him or her to sign on now. If they are already on the bill lobby them to push to get it out for a vote.

For more information on the Fly-In and accommodations in D.C. visit Save Small Business.org.

50K H2B Workers In Limbo

The way I understand it, the H2B seasonal worker program ran into the perfect legislative storm last week.  First wave hit on September 30th when the exemption from the cap for returning workers expired and then the cap of 33,000 H2B visas for the first half of FY 2008 was reached on October 1.  The cap was reached so much earlier than normal this year because of the Catch 22 that Congress had failed to renew the returning worker exemption from the quota.

The Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2007 was apparently supposed to permanently exempt returning workers from the H-2B visa quota but the bill is languishing in committees of both the House and Senate. This issue particularly affects ski resorts because ski resorts typically often don’t start their employee recruitment process until mid-September/October. Now with the quotas in place most, if not all of the returning H-2B workers that ski resorts depend upon, cannot return and work unless Congress grants relief.

While I'm not a big fan of the immigration policy now in place, a complete collapse of the H2B program would be devastating to the ski industry. There is still time for Congress to act before the end of session, but they need to get to work now to ensure the industry has workers for the holidays.  you can help by calling, or e-mailing your representatives and urging them to support and vote for the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2007 - HR1843 in the House and in the Senate S988...