Federal Changes Make It Difficult for Ski Resorts to Recruit Workers

Filed in archive Winter Adventures on October 1, 2007

If you find the lines at your favorite ski resort longer than usual, blame the federal governement.

According to a Yahoo news story, federal law changes could make it difficult for foreign workers - who have worked in the United States for three years, to return for another season without effecting a cap imposed on the number of workers. This change will likely effect ski resorts in northern New England, who gather 10-15% of their workforce from the H-2B program.

"We're coming down to the wire throughout the month of October," Riehle said. "It's the critical time for us to determine where the numbers are."

In fiscal 2006, the U.S admitted a total of 122,511 foreign workers under the H-2B program. Of the total 50,854 were returning workers, said Shawn Saucier, a spokesman for U.S Citizenship and Immigration services.

"Potentially you are looking at a loss of 50,000 workers," Saucier said.

Half of the workers admitted under the H-2B program are for winter employment and half are for summer employment. Saucier could not say how many of the returning workers were winter or summer workers.

Riehle said he was hopeful Congress would renew the provision.

"The exemption has been approved overwhelmingly in the past," Riehle said.

A spokesman for Vermont's U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, a Democrat, said there were bills pending on Congress to renew the returning worker exemption, but he didn't know their status.

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, has supported efforts to make the returning worker exemption permanent. One such effort was a part of the now-dead comprehensive immigration reform bill, said Leahy spokesman David Carle.

"There may be an effort in coming weeks to try for another temporary extension," Carle said.