Help to Avert an H2B Disaster-
Take Action Now!

On September 30, 2006, the temporary fix for the H2B program will expire.  If we do not get an extention of the cap it will be devastating to the landscape industry in Ohio, as well as to other service oriented small business in our state. 

While the Ohio Landscape Association endorses Comprehensive Immigration reform, we need to be sure that the Landscape Industry is not without workers should the debate for a larger picture reform continue past this deadline.

There is legistation that was introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski in the Senate (Senate Bill 2284) and a companion piece of legislation introduced in the House by Congressman Charles Bass (House Bill 4740).  This legislative is also known as the Save Our Small Business Act and simply adds 3 years to the current fix.

In Ohio, only Senator DeWine, Senator Voinovich and Rep. Steven LaTourette have co-sponsored these bills. 

It is imperative to get ALL our Representatives to sign as co-sponsors of this bill.  The more signatures we have, the easier it will be to attach the H2B fix to another piece of legislation and expidite it through congress if need be. 

Please contact your Representatives to tell them we NEED their signatures as co-sponors of H.R. 4740. 

The best way to get your message across is to visit with your legislator or thier aid in person.  You can visit a local office if you cannot get to Washington DC.  And, if you can't schedule a local visit, then please fax or email a letter to your legislators NOW.  For a sample letter click here.

To find contact information for U.S. Senator George Voinovich click here.
To find contact information for U.S. Senator Mike DeWine click here.
To find our U.S. Representative's contact information click on their name
     District 1--Steve Chabot
     District 2--Jean Schmidt
     District 3--Michael Turner
     District 4--Michael Oxley
     District 5--Paul Gillmor
     District 6--Ted Strickland
     District 7--Dave Hobson
     District 8--John Boehner
     District 9--Marcy Kaptur
     District 10-Dennis Kucinich
     District 11-Stephanie Tubbs Jones
     District 12-Patrick Tiberi
     District 13-Sherrod Brown
     District 14-Steven LaTourette
     District 15-Deborah Pryce
     District 16-Ralph Regula
     District 17-Tim Ryan
     District 18-Bob Ney

If you do not know who your representative is click here.  Go to the bottom of the linked page and type in your zipcode.

Sample Letter to Your Legislator

(You can copy and paste this into your own Word Document, edit it and pritn out on your letterhead.)

Dear Representative _________________,

On September 30, 2006, the temporary fix for the H2B program will expire.  If we do not get an extention of the cap it will be devastating to my business and the landscape industry in Ohio, as well as to other service oriented small business in our state. 

Because of a lack in interested American workers, my business relies heavily on using the H2B program as a means to hire LEGAL temporary workers.  Without this additional workforce, I fear I will have to lay of American workers and cut back the size of my company. 

While I agree Comprehensive Immigration Reform is needed, we need to be sure that we are not without workers should the debate for a larger picture reform continue past this deadline.

Please help to ensure that I can continue to grow my small business in Ohio.  You can do this by co-sponsoring H.R. 4740. 

Sincerely,

(sign your name)


Immigration And Guest Workers

As I write this, immigration has become the hottest topic in congress.You may have a negative view on immigration, and if you do, I urge you to remain open minded as the immigration debate rages on. You may think that because you don't use foreign sources of labor that this issue does not affect your business. I disagree, but first, let me assure you that the Ohio Landscape Association does not approve of illegal immigration or of the intentional use of undocumented workers.

There is really more than one issue here, but they are often confused. There are illegal immigrants (undocumented workers living in the U.S. illegally, often with their families), legal immigrants (those whom are following the proper legal channels and have the appropriate paperwork to work and live in the U.S. while working toward citizenship), and guest workers (those workers who have temporary visas, usually seasonal, who are not on a path toward citizenship. These workers fill a need here and return to their native country.)

Many landscape firms in Ohio rely heavily on Hispanic and other sources of foreign labor to keep their companies operating. The vast majority of our members that use these sources of labor use either the H2B guest worker program or individuals that are able to show the proper documentation proving they are legal to work in the United States—not illegal immigrants. Remember that employers walk a fine line between hiring a potentially illegal worker and discriminating against that person if they do not hire them as long as they present the proper paperwork.

There are many misconceptions about the seasonal guest worker programs. The employers that use these programs are not looking for a source of cheap labor.They are desperate to find labor.

In order to qualify for the H2B Program, employers must prove that they have advertised the jobs that are available and show that they have been unsuccessful in finding candidates to fill them. Some of you are fortunate to be in areas of the state that have an available entry-level workforce.Others are not so fortunate. Additionally, the companies using the H2B Program pay steep fees to the government and often pay an agent and/or recruiter to help with the process.The program also mandates a wage threshold that must be met or exceeded.This wage is far above the minimum wage set by the state of Ohio.

The H2A Program is for agricultural guest workers. This program is used by nurseries and has even more stringent requirements.

Guest workers are not taking away jobs from Americans. Guest workers are filling the jobs that Americans are not willing to do. Most Americans are uninterested in seasonal jobs that require hard manual labor. Most supervisory positions in landscape contracting companies and nurseries are held by Americans, who could lose their jobs if laborer positions go unfilled.

Additionally, legal seasonal guest workers do not strain our government’s resources. They pay taxes and social security, but they are not eligible to receive social security benefits as they are not on the pathway to citizenship. Workers holding H2B visas are required to go home for at least 2 months each year and are happy to do so because they are very family-oriented and their families do not to come to America with the approved worker. These documented workers with legal visas have gone through background checks and must have clean records to qualify.

Illegal immigrants run the risk of being underpaid and taken advantage of because they are not being lawfully employed.They are not in a position to "blow the whistle" on an unfair employer. It is easy to say, "Just send them all home," but in reality, that is not a good economical or humanitarian decision.

With an estimated 10 to 12 million illegals in the United States, who would fill their jobs if they suddenly left?Think of our crops going unharvested and the sudden lack of staff in hotels, restaurants, resorts, nurseries, etc. Many of these illegals now have children that are U. S. citizens because they were born in the United States. Many are married to Americans. Because we chose to look the other way for years, can we now expect to tear those families apart?

Our government needs to find an equitable way to solve this huge problem. They need to work out a system for encouraging these people to come forward. No doubt there needs to be some sanctions for not following the law in the past, but there also needs to be a process to document and legalize these people either on a temporary basis or with a chance to become a citizen. Amnesty is a bad idea. It hasn't worked in the past, and only shows that our laws don't need to be taken seriously. Any real solutions will take years to implement with different stages in the process, but we need to start somewhere and we need to be careful not to shoot ourselves in the foot with enforcing only legislation.

Our country was founded by the principle of immigration. I doubt many of your families are Native American. We are a blend of many heritages.Our country's economy has always relied on immigrant labor. Let's create a system that works and then enforce the laws to make our borders secure!

I urge you to pay close attention to this issue. Contact your Congressmen and our two Senators to let them know how you feel.

Ohio U.S. Senator's Offices

Senator George Voinovich
  Washington DC Office of Senator George V. Voinovich
  524 Hart Senate Office Building
  Washington DC20510
  202-224-3353
  Fax
  Web Form for email: voinovich.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm