Push made for guest workers

Unable to find U.S. labor, state group urges Congress to change immigration laws

Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, May 3, 2007

A group of Colorado businesses Wednesday said they will urge Congress to change federal immigration laws because they can't find enough American workers to fill job openings.

With the number of unemployed Coloradans at its lowest level in six years, hotels, landscapers and businesses in a range of industries have banded together to lobby for an expanded guest- worker program, among other reforms.

"We are not in favor of illegal immigration," said Kristen Fefes, a spokeswoman for the new coalition calling itself Colorado Employers for Immigration Reform. "But . . . the current system is unworkable."

At a news conference announcing the group's official launch, an owner of Arapahoe Acres Nursery described his difficulty in getting enough seasonal workers this spring after he discovered his application to a federal visa program had gotten lost.

Because of the time constraints of tree planting, Arapahoe Acres' Mike Gilsdorf said he offered to pay "anything" to find enough people to handle seasonal work. Employee spouses and children, working overtime, helped him stay in business until workers from other countries arrived to fill the temporary positions.

A landscaping company said it faces similar problems in trying to find enough local residents to take jobs once filled with "hippies" who "loved planting flowers" and working outside.

"We started our business in a totally different time," said Mark Kramer, president of JBK Landscape in Aurora. "(The system) is a mess and needs to be fixed."

Among the problems: the coming expiration of a provision that allows workers to return on so-called H2-B visas without counting toward the national limit of 66,000. Colorado businesses alone bring in about 25 percent of workers, or 16,500, on those visas.

The coalition, similar to ones started in other states, figures it has only a few weeks to convince Washington lawmakers of the urgent need for changes.

"There are no easy solutions," said Pete Meersman, head of the Colorado Restaurant Association, which represents an industry employing about 230,000. "We are asking Congress to put politics aside."

Meersman echoed others who said they don't see enough people applying for jobs.

The Broadmoor Hotel, for instance, received only six responses to ads for about 280 positions with starting pay of $8 to $10 an hour and the potential for tips.

"We simply cannot find enough U.S. workers," said Cindy Clark, human resources director of the luxury hotel in Colorado Springs.

Colorado's unemployment rate stood at just 3.6 percent in March. The number of unemployed residents fell to 97,300.

Observers also blamed laws passed at the state level last year that were an attempt on the part of the legislature to crack down on illegal workers.

"It has left a gaping hole in Colorado's labor force, which has yet to be filled by documented workers, citizens or immigrants alike," said Yvan Murad, a Colorado immigration attorney.

Murad characterized the coalition as "a response to a lack of leadership on the issue."

The group has yet to take a position on whether workers who are already here illegally should be given a way to become U.S. citizens.

At a glance

Employers in industries representing about 500,000 workers in Colorado say they need "guest workers" from other countries to fill seasonal jobs.

Businesses, including restaurants and landscape companies, will band together to lobby Congress for what they call "comprehensive immigration reform."

What the Colorado Employers for Immigration Reform group wants:

• A long-term solution to the H2-B program that provides a limited number of visas to seasonal laborers. A temporary fix allows workers to return to their jobs each year without being counted toward the national limit on these visas: 66,000. Colorado businesses alone use almost 25 percent of the entire allotment. Employers worry about the Sept. 30 expiration of the exemption for returning workers and want Congress to craft a permanent fix.

• An overhaul of the H2-A program that provides visas for agricultural workers. Farmers who can't fill jobs in their fields use these visas to hire legal workers from outside the country. Among the issues: paperwork, delays, and pay and housing requirements set by the government.

• The creation of a year-round guest worker program. Current law limits the number of workers who can stay year-round to 5,000. The Colorado Restaurant Association also advocates that Congress create "a path to citizenship" for workers who are already here and for those coming on guest visas.

kelleyj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5068