The H2B visa program continues to be a hot topic on a number of fronts. Below, is an article the appeared this morning in the Greenville (SC) newspaper. Obviously, this isn't the kind of publicity the resort hoped for. The feds set the hourly wage. It is usually a relatively high number for hourly help because it keeps the program in check, doing what it's designed for. We use H2B labor because local folks that are willing and able to do this kind of work, simply don't exist. You don't use H2B labor looking for cheaper labor. The prevailing wage set by the feds is around $16.80 this year. While high, you don't pay workers comp, payroll taxes etc. on these individuals which justifies the cost. This program is pretty well regulated and how (if true) a resort paid these individuals less than
Recently, Congress left 'the returning worker exemption' off of their most recent bill. This allows any individual who worked in the US during the last 3 years to return and not count against the 33,000 limit set forth by lawmakers. This is a slight blow to the program because it limits quite a few people. However, the H2B program allows workers to come to the US and count towards that 33,000 number on two dates- either October 1 or April 1. So, for example, if we wanted 5 workers on June 5th, they would count towards the April 1st total. If you wanted them on December 15th, they count towards the October 1st total. Even if you wanted them March 29th, they count towards the October 1 allotment. This means the later you want workers after the Oct 1/April 1 date, the more risk there is in all 33,000 workers being accounted for. We are requesting 6 workers to start April 1. Therefore, the likelihood of us getting the help we need is great. All paperwork has been submitted and all indications are positive.
