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Economy

Maine Town Resorts To Hiring Americans As Visas Run Out

2017-07-16

[Hot Air] That really sounds like something out of The Onion, doesn’t it? I mean, a headline like that one has to be satire. And yet it’s a very real story brought to us by The Daily Caller this week. Their title, while a bit more direct, has the same impact. "Shortage Of Foreign Labor Forces Maine Businesses To Hire Local Workers." The location is Bar Harbor, Maine, and yes, my friends... the struggle is real.

Businesses in Bar Harbor, Maine are turning to locals to make up for a shortage of foreign guest workers that normally fill summer jobs in the bustling seaside resort town.

Because the H-2B visa program has already reached its annual quota, Bar Harbor’s hotels, restaurants and shops can’t bring in any more foreign workers for the rest of the busy summer tourist season. Like hundreds of similar coastal resort towns, Bar Harbor has for many years depended on the H-2B visas for temporary workers. The program allows non-agricultural companies to bring in foreign labor if they are unable to find suitable employees domestically.

Now they are coming up with creative ways to attract local labor, reports the Bangor Daily News.

The use of temporary "guest worker" programs is problematic to begin with (at least for some of us) but at least on paper these jobs seem to qualify. If you look at the qualifying conditions for the program, so-called "seasonal work" is a valid reason to seek out H-2B visa holders. Still, in a capitalist society, it rings a bit of a sour note when you see a system which is actively built on using foreign workers before exhausting all possible hires of citizens.

Posted by:Besoeker

#7 Effective Jan. 18, 2017, nationals from the following countries are eligible to participate in the H-2B program:

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark,Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kiribati, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu

I'm more inclined to think the hiring is from Canada, the Auld Sod, or UK.

Posted by: Pappy 2017-07-16 17:57

#6 Isn't it funny how the same people who foam at the mouth about slavery (extinct in the US since 1864, except in some middle eastern diplomat and entrepreneur households) don't have a problem with "guest workers," who are essentially indentured servants if they are lucky and slaves if they are not?

Posted by: M. Murcek 2017-07-16 17:17

#5 The main reason for there being summer vacations was to get the kids out of school to help with the harvest.
Since then it has morphed into a well-established perk for the educators -- a three month vacation every year and you still keep your job. Knew someone that chose teaching over moving up in a company (He could sell ice cubes to polar bears and the company owner wanted him!) for that reason -- he could take the summer off and do archeology.

Posted by: magpie 2017-07-16 12:17

#4 The main reason for there being summer vacations was to get the kids out of school to help with the harvest.

Seems like the only thing that benefits from the current are teachers unions and politicians campaign funds. Get rid of a whole lot of excesss vacations and voila more kids in need of jobs. College students already get out in, what, mid-April now?

Posted by: AlanC 2017-07-16 08:31

#3 If you look at the qualifying conditions for the program, so-called "seasonal work" is a valid reason to seek out H-2B visa holders.

Nope. Just adjust the school year to match the seasonal work. Suddenly, you have an available workforce. However, you are lockstep in thinking, its beyond your ability to adapt.

Posted by: Procopius2k 2017-07-16 07:27

#2 The horror!

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-07-16 05:22

#1 I am seeing a lot more young African American kids in fast food uniforms working along side older managers. They look and act very professional and I feel sense of pride when I see them. I give them as much respect as I can when doing business with them.

Posted by: Glinesh Cruting8663 2017-07-16 03:13

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