Every one of them is a mexican. Oh, the irony.
Posted on 05/14/2018 7:45:13 AM PDT by GIdget2004
Eddie Devine voted for President Donald Trump because he thought he would be good for American business. Now, he says, the Trump administration’s restrictions on seasonal foreign labor may put him out of business.
“I feel like I’ve been tricked by the devil,” said Devine, owner of Harrodsburg-based Devine Creations Landscaping. “I feel so stupid.”
Devine says it has been years since he could find enough dependable, drug-free American workers for his $12-an-hour jobs mowing and tending landscapes for cemeteries, shopping centers and apartment complexes across Central Kentucky.
So for years he has hired 20 seasonal workers, mostly from Guatemala, through the U.S. Labor Department’s H2-B “guest worker” program. Importing these workers for a few months cost him an additional $18,000 in fees and expenses beyond their wages, which must be the same as he pays American workers. But that’s the only way he could serve his customers.
Restrictions on guest-worker visas, which began during President Barack Obama’s second term as immigration became a hot issue for conservatives, have gotten worse under Trump. And it’s even more of a problem now that the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in years.
Devine says he lost a $100,000 account because he didn’t have enough men to do the job. He’s worried he may be out of business next year if things don’t improve.
He isn’t alone. Cuts in H-2B visas are hurting small businesses across the country that can’t find Americans willing to do hard, manual labor: Maryland crab processors, Texas shrimp fishermen, and Kentucky landscapers and construction companies.
“We live and die by these visas,” said Ken Monin, owner of Monin Construction, which specializes in home additions, roofs, decks and garages.
(Excerpt) Read more at kentucky.com ...
Good luck getting insurance/bonding for your business without the drug testing. Especially when dealing with potentially dangerous equipment, or the property of others (clients).
I’ve seen several articles about restaurants and farmers complaining that they have had to raise wages because of the tightening of the border and work visas.
Exactly. That’s how its supposed to work. Tighten the border and you don’t have to worry so much about minimum wage... the minimum wage takes care of itself.
The crux of this guy’s problem is that he is paying $12/hr for jobs that only exist for a few months of the year. That’s a great wage for Guatemalans, who can cruise for the rest of the year, but worthless for the average American. College kids building pools were getting paid $15 an hour 30 years ago. His wage rates are a joke. $12/hr today was $5.64/hr in 1988.
"You misunderstand."
Bingo.
At present, I live in a rural area where High School kids are scrambling for any type job to help them save for college, buy a vehicle, etc.
I know several young men that are mowing lawns, cutting trees, clearing brush, etc. and I seriously doubt they are getting $12 an hour.
Yes, he was tricked by the black devil.
You misunderstand. Pay decent wages and you don’t have to hire druggies and the no shows.
The prime landscaping season is when they are on summer vacation. There is also after-school and weekends.
Here we go. Look forward to a bunch of “I voted for Trump now I hate him” stories.
Good. Another underbid using cheap foreign labor was squashed.
Just add the Kentucky employment incentive plan “a pint of moonshine and pack of smokes. “
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I'd be willing to bet that less than 5% of such workers ever go home.
Assuming 2% annual inflation since 1986, your $12/hour wage comes to $21.78/hour.
In the winter I cut my lawnmowing back to 2x a month
““I feel like I’ve been tricked by the devil,” said Devine, owner of Harrodsburg-based Devine Creations Landscaping. “I feel so stupid.””
Hire american citizens and you’ll feel less stupid.
Every one of them is a mexican. Oh, the irony.
My friend has a senior landscaping/horticulture position in a award winning cemetery in Newton, MA,
For years they had the Guats come in for the summer to do the mowing/weedwacking but around 10 years ago the management put a stop to it.....somehow they survived and are still winning the horticulture awards...
Maybe this guy should adjust his business practice.
As do most of the domestic low wage workers. I don’t favor citizens over citizens when it comes to handouts. I truly beleive illegals should receive the same amount as citizens should receive which is $0.
I heard it this morning on Bloomberg Radio...Raise the wages...boohoo...ConservaTeen raised his brother’s wages...he might be raising his prices...
After school...on school vacations...When I was 9, I had a lawnmowing/snow removing business...when I sold it (to a friend’s younger brother for $25) I had 30 customers. He now has operations in 7 states, along with painting and remodeling.
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