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This past week Bob Grover and Adam Flint flew to Washington DC to meet with the Oregon and Washington congressional delegation as a part of the National Association of Landscape Professionals Fly-in. We use the H2B Visa Program to staff our seasonal labor positions as those are the most difficult to staff, especially legally, as few want to work 8 month jobs. H2B Visa holding migrants are great to fill these positions as they want to come here and work to support their families back home and want to go back home during the winter.
In this current immigration debate environment, programs such as H2B are subject to criticism and are at risk of being lost. Some say it takes away opportunity for American workers or suppresses wages but with our local unemployment rate at 3.9% in Seattle, and the required H2B Prevailing Wage of $22.36 in Seattle, neither is true. As a part of the H2B Application Process, employers must prove the inability to attract local workers at that prevailing wage. This year, those recruiting efforts produced less than 3 local candidates for the 60 visas we applied for.
While the problem of illegal immigration is a problem that needs to be solved, guest worker programs like H2B have come under attack and some want them eliminated. With over 10 Million unauthorized immigrants working here or 5% of the US workforce it is indication of the need for more worker visa programs like H2B to provide the labor our economy needs. H2B seasonal labor helps support our full-time skilled landscape professionals and managers.
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