Fewer International Workers This Year

This is an article from Detroit and about Michigan resorts, but it effects everyone:

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080329/NEWS05/803290335

They've all been caught up in the fight in Congress overimmigration. Last fall, lawmakers let lapse an exemption that allowedsome past visa holders to return to their old employers each year.

"It'sgoing to have a major effect on all of us," said Wright, speaking thisweek by phone from Jamaica. "It helps us support our families."

Wright-- promoted last year to front office manager at the hotel -- hasworked from late April to November each year on Mackinac Island,earning nearly double what she can at home.

Last fall, Congress cut the H2B program nearly in half, leaving workers like Wright on the outside.

The number of H2B visas has been capped at 66,000 a year since 1990. Visa requests from employers have mushroomed since 2002.

Congressallowed returning workers to be exempt from the cap starting in 2004,and more than 120,000 H2B visas were granted last year. But theexemption expired in September, and Congress refused to renew it. Amongmany others, the change has hurt crabmeat processors in Maryland, skiresorts in Colorado, circuses in California, hotels on Cape Cod andlandscapers in Ohio.

Let's hope this is a good thing for everyone here, albeit bad for the internationals. More jobs will be available to Michiganders who really do need them...

Internationals are a big percentage of the CP workforce, that should be interesting. People in Michigan know those jobs are there, but they don't want to work somewhere for only half the year like it says in the article...

I work now at Mt. Rushmore in S. Dakota and I would say at least half our work force is international also. Big difference with S. Dakota though, they have a really low unemployment rate versus Michigan (2-3% versus 7-8%).

It's kinda good. More English-speaking workers..

Also, more Michiganders (ugh!) ;)

topthrilldragster4lyf said:
More jobs will be available to Michiganders who really do need them...

But, if people don't take the jobs because the job "isn't good enough for them" or they're "too good for it," (and believe me, that's the thought process of many) it doesn't solve the problem, it only makes the problem bigger.

Thing is, more and more people simply can't find jobs around here.

Although, I will admit that there's no particular reason that the number of local applicants should increase, because of what you said.

I'm kinda thinking of retracting that statement, or belief really. Touché!

Or the free market would make CP have to raise their pay levels, or add some other bonuses to get workers. You know, supply and demand, basic stuff like that ;).

Now if that would work... :)

The people un-employed in Michigan aren't looking for seasonal work, they're looking for careers. Its not that the job is below them, its that they can't afford to support a family on a minimum wage job with NO benefits thats away from home.

Michigan is in bad shape, and the only reason we haven't seen double digit unemployment yet is because people are moving out of state to find work. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

I completely understand that they're not looking for seasonal work, and that they're looking for a career. But isn't some income better than no income? Especially when you consider that you could very well still be collecting from something like unemployment (varies from state to state) and have the little bit of extra income. It's not saying you'll do it forever, but something is more than nothing.

Ok I am not going to go in to Michigan Rant mode here for now. WTF. I am going to be really depressed if I do not get to see the Internationals this year. They rock man. Who do I have to call to chew some people out to change this :). This thread is not funny at all and I doubt they would give us a pay raise too.

When I worked at the Point, the seasonal staff consisted almost entirely of college students who wanted a summer job to earn some extra income for school, not people trying to make ends meet (although there were some of those two - especially retired living on Social Security). Although the pay wasn't high, the hours were. So, you could make some decent cash. But a big draw was also the fun factor. You got to spend a summer with people your own age at an awesome park on the lake. They had weekly activities for the employees, including a dance in the ballroom, intramural sports, movies, and offsite trips you could join in on. If you were a male, it was doubly good as the ratio of female to male workers at the time was on the order of 4 to 1. If you couldn't find a date with those odds, you weren't interested.

Why now do American college students shun jobs like this? Has the Point changed how it treats its seasonal employees so much that these jobs aren't worth it anymore?

I'd guess that back in the day, the park paid a lot more (compared to other employers of the day).

Nowadays they only pay minimum wage, something any college student could do better at a Best Buy or whatever near their home. College students are also (I think) taking more summer courses, internships, and more "academic" summer programs as things like graduate school and even jobs get more and more competitive.

Dick would disagree but the living conditions at the typical college have FAR surpassed those of Cedar Point. I know all of the major state schools in Florida have high speed internet connections in every room. I would expect that is mostly the case in Ohio and I know that isn't the case at Cedar Point.

Communal facilites are becoming a thing of the past at most colleges yet a big portion of CP employees still live in those conditions. There are far more jobs available to college students than there were in the 70s and 80s which makes for competition. And, if I can make the same money, or relative to it, staying home with all of the benefits that entails then why wouldn't I?

Cedar Point has had many opportunities to try to compete. Dick has yet to step to the plate and that is a major, major reason they are relying more and more on the international employee. That too shall pass and when there is no interest on the part of the internationals (which is only a matter of time) then CP is going to be spitting into the wind.

We had high speed Internet connections in our dorm rooms, and that was 15 years ago!

The new housing at CWRU is beautiful. Apartment style living, with both wireless and gigabit ethernet in each unit. Here is a description of the housing from the Case website, and what college students have grown to expect:

"A typical apartment is composed of shared areas and individual bedrooms. Card-swipe electronic locks protect not only the outer apartment door, but also each individual bedroom door. Climate controls for both heating and air conditioning are available in each apartment. Large windows provide extensive natural light and the option for fresh air.

Each apartment living room is outfitted with a couch and coffee table. This addresses basic furnishing needs and allows residents to customize the common area with personal furniture and electronics. Each common area has a network faceplate with multiple 10/100/1000 Ethernet network connections, cable television service, and local telephone service.

Each kitchen features a full-size refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and microwave. Upper and lower storage cabinets also are available. In units that feature pass-through counters, counter stools are also included.

Every bedroom includes a double bed, desk and desk chair, four-drawer dresser, a moveable filing cabinet, and closet. Each bedroom also features a network faceplate with two 10/100/1000 Ethernet network connections, cable television service, and local telephone service. Each bedroom has an accent wall that can be repainted by residents."

Holy Crap!

I have nothing else to say.

And, before anyone gets all crazy I'm not suggesting that the Cedar Point housing needs to be of the quality of Case Western. But, it could be at least a few steps up from the Dusk to Dawn Motel. There is such thing as a happy medium.

As I've said for the past 14 years: What could be Cedar Fair's greatest calling card for luring employees is it's greatest weakness. There is no excuse.

Actually, there is an excuse b/c only one man is to blame.

Even if there weren't any issues with visas, I would still wonder if the international work force pool is going to be reduced this year. With the dollar sinking as low as it has, I'm sure it becomes less attractive to people in those countries whose currencies are riding higher against ours. The exception might be China, which stubbornly insists on keeping the yuan RMB pegged at a ridiculously low rate against the dollar.

Ensign Smith said:
...I would still wonder if the international work force pool is going to be reduced this year. With the dollar sinking as low as it has, I'm sure it becomes less attractive to people in those countries whose currencies are riding higher against ours.

That's not something that's new to this year. Internationals used to be able to come and work a summer and support their whole family for an entire year. That's far from true anymore.