'A wall doesn't solve the problem'

Hotel group executive says foreign workers need a path to legality

Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Ilene Kamsler, president of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association, traveled to Washington recently to weigh in with lawmakers on the hot-button topic of immigration reform.

Kamsler, whose group represents 520 members employing about 40,000 workers across the state, has been following legislative proposals closely because of the hotel industry's heavy reliance on foreign-born employees.

She spoke to the Rocky Mountain News about the issue Monday. Her edited remarks follow:

On the industry's need for immigrant workers: They are willing to do jobs that we just can't find Americans to do. They're serious employees - they're not just there until they graduate from college and can find a better job. So many of them contribute to business because they have that great work ethic. They are very valuable to our industry.

There was a time period when college students would take a year off and they didn't care what they did as long as they got a ski pass. But housing is expensive, and they don't readily hand out ski passes anymore.

It's rare that you find college students cleaning rooms today. If they are working at a hotel, they're working a job where they can ski all day and work at night.

On whether immigrants depress wages and benefits for American workers: They certainly don't in the hospitality industry. There is no discrimination in hourly benefits and wages. It's not like we're paying them less (than Americans), therefore we want them more.

The industry could possibly pay its workers more - as long as the traveling public is willing to pay more for their hotel rooms. But I don't think our jobs are necessarily undervalued. There's not anyone who starts at less than $7 an hour, plus benefits, for the first six months. Nobody's paying minimum wage. They can't find anybody at that level.

On immigrants who are already here illegally: Just sending everybody home and building a wall doesn't solve the problem at all for American businesses. There isn't a realistic way of getting everyone back home. We need to find a way to put them on a path of becoming legal.

They've been here and they've been working hard, doing jobs that a lot of us would never touch.

On screening for ineligible job applicants: Our industry of course needs the foreign labor. But many of our hotel operators are not document experts.

They've been asked to review documents and make sure they're in order. They don't have the ability to determine the difference between a real document or a forged document.

On immigration reforms the hotel industry could support: We subscribe to strengthening the border so we can get people here legally through a guest worker program. We desperately need a guest worker program rather than just being punitive.

We - along with the American Hotel & Lodging Association - have been supportive of the compromise bill sponsored by Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

On the prospects for congressional action in the near future: Initially I was more optimistic that we would get a comprehensive reform bill before the August recess.

I just think it's too complicated to solve that quickly. And it's more complex than just solving the issue because it's so political. If you put some good heads together that weren't running for office, you could probably solve it.

My biggest concern is whether they have time to pass something extending the H-2B visa program that expires on Sept. 30. The expiration would be worrisome for Colorado because the program allows tourism industry employers to hire foreign workers at two different times of the year. (If it expires, winter destinations would get the whole allotment.)

Lodging industry's economic impact on Colorado

• Average annual number of people employed in the lodging industry in 2003    39,300

• Gross receipts attributed to the lodging industry in 2003*    $2,044,319,000

• Net state sales tax receipts attributed to the lodging industry in 2003*    $50,483,000

• Total number of lodging properties in Colorado**    1,169

• Total number of rooms in Colorado**    97,310

*Source: State of Colorado Revenue Research & Analysis

**Source: Smith Travel Research as of August 2004

kelleyj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5068