Congress Breaks Without Ruling On Ski Area Visa Extensions
|
418 views |
Ski resorts rely heavily on foreign workers to cater to seasonal crowds.
Despite the hopes of many in the ski resort industry, the 110th Congress went on its month long August break on Friday without acting on the proposal to extend foreign work visas, which makes the odds of the extension taking place before the coming shred season are narrowing. Numerous ski areas have stated the extensions are crucial to their success this winter.
The exemption expired in September of ‘07, and because of this, seasonal resort workers who worked in the country within the last three seasons are counted against the H2B visa program’s cap of 33,000 seasonal winter visas. The limit on this number for the year was already reached in July meaning that unless the extension is passed, no more visas will be granted.
At a meeting in Eagle in early July, Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) wasn’t overly optimistic the H2B extensions, which have been granted in years past, 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.”
“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 in an interview with The Colorado Independent. “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.”
Despite record skier days and snow coverage, resorts like Vail closed down early last season due to labor shortages caused by the lack of foreign employees.
For more information, check out the Independent’s article.
Tags: ski industry, snowboard, work visas
Loading ...
»
Look at it this way - what with jet fuel costs skyrocketing (sending ticket prices up), airlines now charging for everything including pillows and blankets (let alone skis), and day passes now topping almost $90 at the big resorts, the skier numbers are bound to drop this season.
Less guests on the hill, less Kiwi’s running the lifts…
See - everthing works out!
PS - Don’t be sad NSAA. Less guests also means you can get away with less grooming. Just think of all the money you’ll save in diesel fuel costs now that you don’t have to run those cats everyday.
as ski resorts get more and more expensive the bottom line can only be achieved through the use of low-cost foreign employment. many of these kids don’d even get out and ski or snowboard, they are usually working 2 or 3 jobs and sending all the money back home, maybe using part of it for a trip across America. we’re not talking the Kiwis here…think South America primarily.
everyone with an opinion would do well to read Hal Clifford’s book “Downhill Slide” and you will start to understand how the corporations are runing the quality of life and the environment in ski towns and the areas that surround them.
hire American workers and pay them a living wage!
amen to that! Why should resorts have a loophole to begin with to be allowed to import workers for below the going market rate? They’ve got a lock on migrant workers. Try paying a decent wage and you’ll get some American kids to come and work for you. Resorts could use a few more shred bums these days!
Clifford’s book “Downhill Slide” is indeed a great book! As anyone who was in the biz during the mid-90’s can tell you, ski resorts basically stopped being ski resorts and became real estate developers. That, coupled with the consolidation that took place with companies such as Intrawest, Vail Associates, ASC and Booth Creek took nearly every great ski destination and left them looking like some homogeneus cookie-cutter faux-river rock and timber shit pile. Unfortunately all the Joe Houssians, Adam Arons, Les Ottens made their riches and bailed out long ago to leave the resort industry holding the bag.
Ski Schools across our nation also rely upon highly qualified foreign instructors. Without them we are facing a drastic shortage of labor this year. Would you like to entrust your child to an instructor who has no certifications and no experience, a ’shred bum’ if you will, and exhausted and overworked certified American instructor, or an experienced and certified foreign instructor. In addition many of us American instructors who maintain year round employment by teaching in New Zealand, Australia and South America wonder if this will spur a backlash of visa denials for ourselves this coming spring. I suppose that we can all just go on unemployment.
having worked all over the world in the ski industry, my comment is- book your travel and instructors early. there will be sellouts in ski schools all over the country.
Leave a Reply