Posted on 02/25/2016 10:45:29 PM PST by dschapin
In what they call a “Reuters Exclusive” the news agency tries to undermine Donald Trump’s candidacy because Trump businesses have used H-2B Visa applications to hire workers. This is an absolute joke, we’ll explain why.
Why this is a nothingburger – Those unfamiliar with the South Florida general labor market are most likely unfamiliar with the extreme swings in “seasonal need” workers.
Does the word “Snowbird” ring a bell? Florida has a “tourist season” which runs from (generally speaking) just after Thanksgiving to Easter annually. January, February and March are the peak. The first Monday in February is the absolute peak as almost every time-share and hotel unit flips that week.
The volume of work within the service and hospitality industry doubles during the tourist season, and those businesses who hire within the general labor market struggle to increase their labor in relationship to the increase in business. In addition, local workers looking for employment are reluctant to take temporary or “seasonal” jobs, and prefer longer term -more stable- employment.
Many businesses need to double, or in some cases triple, their workforce in order to meet the business demand. [In 2014 97,300,000 tourists visited Florida].
As a consequence many companies, including Trump owned resorts, have used H-2B visa workers to fill the gap between large fluctuations in business and the needed staffing shortfalls. From my own experience, many of the workers are students from South America (Argentina, Brazil, etc) who take the seasonal jobs Nov/Dec – March/April between their college seasons – and then return home.
In addition you’ll note the dates of the Reuters data:
Trump owns companies that have sought to import at least 1,100 foreign workers on temporary visas since 2000, according to U.S. Department of Labor data reviewed by Reuters. Most of the applications were approved, the data show. (link)
“2000 through 2015” Another factor – During the timeframe of 2000 to 2007 the seasonal hiring problem was compounded by the boom in the housing market and overall thriving U.S. economy. Any generally healthy worker, who could swing a hammer, could triple their income switching to the housing or building sector.
Bartenders, waiters/waitresses, housekeepers, maintenance and general workers left the hospitality industry to make $25-$40hr in low skill construction jobs. The H-2B visa use increased at the same rate to help fill the worker void. Actually, the H-2B visa use initially started gaining wide-scale acceptance exactly for this reason. The economy was good, workers were scarce and demand for workers greater than the labor market.
[…] The Labor Department records don’t specify the nationality of the foreign workers sought by companies. But Trump could be bringing many Mexican workers into the United States.
Reuters examined records of applications for three categories of temporary work visas – the H-2A, H-2B and H-1B programs – submitted by employers to the Labor Department.
The temporary work visa program through which Trump’s companies have sought the greatest numbers of workers, H-2B, brings in mostly workers from Mexico. Mexicans made up more than 80 percent of the 104,993 admissions to the United States on H-2B visas in 2013. The Trump companies have sought at least 850 H-2B visa workers.
The H-2B program, which receives little government oversight, is used by companies in sectors ranging from hospitality to forestry to hire foreign workers for temporary jobs. Companies must prove that the jobs are seasonal – and that they tried and failed to hire Americans.
U.S. government watchdogs have criticized the H-2B and H-2A programs over the years for failing to protect foreign and American workers alike.
[…] The Mar-a-Lago, a luxury resort in Palm Beach, Florida, has sought the most foreign workers of the nine Trump businesses: 787 workers since 2006, according to the data.
This month, the resort filed paperwork seeking to bring in 70 foreign workers later this year on H-2B visas to serve as maids, cooks and wait staff, according to paperwork known as âjob ordersâ published on the Labor Department’s web site. (read more)
See?
The entire article is a nothingburger once you understand the issue at hand. Palm Beach, Florida tourism season doubles, and at times triples, the business not only for Donald Trump resorts, but for every business in/around the host and hospitality sector.
Palm Beach, like many South Florida areas even have celebrations when the “snowbirds”, “frog heads”, and “tourons” go home at season’s end.
Reuters is trying to make a regional common practice seem like something rather controversial. The FAIL is strong on this one.
Trump’s a big boy. He can take it.
Did Trump make the law on foreign workers?
Did Trump follow the law on foreign workers?
Did Trump do what a business person is expected, which is utilize the lowest cost to obtain labor?
These are the standards I look at to determine if Trump did anything wrong.
Fascists and tyrants always have enemies lists. Barack Obama, who has exceeded the constitutional scope of his powers, has used the IRS as a weapon against conservatives.
Donald Trump, the man who called Bill Clinton before running for President and who has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrat causes, is just another Obama waiting to happen. He made that clear today by declaring Joe Ricketts, the owner of the Cubs, to be on his enemies list for funding Republicans against Trump.
It can’t be any wonder that so many people with swastikas in their Twitter profile pics back Donald Trump. It takes one to know one.
I hear the Rickets family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $'s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2016
You put Donald Trump in charge of the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security, etc. you’re just going to wind up with a more vicious version of Barack Obama. He will not be Republican, but for the highest bidder, which is always himself.
Wanting to silence political free speech is not conservative & threatening critics is not presidential. [cfga.us] https://t.co/ePXBGnzsEb
— CFG + CFG Action (@club4growth) February 22, 2016
An enemies list? @realDonaldTrump is channeling his inner Richard Nixon. He'd out-Obama abusing power. https://t.co/XV084awJl8
— Brent Bozell (@BrentBozell) February 22, 2016
does @realDonaldTrump already have an enemies list, and is this the man we want in charge of the IRS?https://t.co/WTzlB9KAJ6
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) February 22, 2016
Trump now making open threats to those who oppose him. https://t.co/aev0eQXFgD
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) February 22, 2016
“Jobs Americans won’t do”
For taking the same position John McCain rightly took broadsides for it years ago, but many of the same people who schwacked him for it somehow find rationale for Trump’s hiring of (legal and sometimes illegal) workers, either directly or via subcontractors..
Last night Trump was “bigly” (remember his laughable use of THAT “word?”) exposed for the hypocrite that he is, but that won’t faze his supporters. They’re far too emotionally invested in him now.
*(legal and illegal) FOREIGN workers
Kirkorian is the head of Center for Immigration Studies. I have gotten emails from this organization for many years.
You keep posting this although was proven part of the poison pill. In 2013 Trump was supporting amnesty as he may will again.
I don’t think it hurts Trump at all. I. The end scRubio is still the amnesty candidate and Cruz, well, I hope he can get his act cleaned up and get rid of those GOPe trolls misleading his campaign.
Trump should run:
Stop all immigration except by hot Eastern European women!
_________________________________________________________
Instead he blurted out the jobs americans won’t do, the chant of the cheap labor expressed. When caught off guard he went right to his crony capitalist liberal roots.
Seasonal work is the toughest area to find enough American workers, whether in agriculture or the tourist/resort industries. The barking hyenas haven’t found the big issue they think they’ve found.
I't really pitiful that so many here have either comprehension or honesty problems.
He said a lot more about the deal and gave some clarification to include barring most from ever becoming citizens - perhaps if one would read all the words and actually think about them so they can be used in context, one wouldn't have shoe-sole dirt running down one's chin...
Enough said?
Not at the wages you're willing to pay, The Donald - so like every Free Traitor who whines about finding workers, you hop on the Cheap Labor Express.
Amend the H-1B visa program to fulfill its original purpose: Work with Congress to pass reform legislation for the H-1B visa program that will:
"Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions Roll Out Antidote To Broken H-1B Program: American Jobs First Act" - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3371276/posts
"Ted Cruz Explains why His Position on H-1B Visas Has Changed" - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3376485/posts
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