Last week, the Department of Homeland Security added insult to injury when they unexpectedly announced that they had secretly conducted a lottery to determine which H-2B applicants would receive their workers. This unprecedented move is devastating and adds further confusion to what is already an extremely problematic situation.
As things now stand, over 66% of seasonal businesses who have met all program requirements will not ret the workers they desperately need. Congress needs to understand that the seasonal labor crisis is no longer a possibility, it is a reality! They are the only ones that hold the power to provide solutions and without their assistance, many businesses and their American workers are in jeopardy!
It is not too late for Congress to act! Congress has not yet approved a 2018 budget and they have until March 23rd to do so. We need to have every NALP member advocate for relief by contacting your member of Congress to demand 2018 H-2B cap-relief! Join us and do the following:
The easiest way for you to Advocate for 2018 H-2B cap-relief is to use our NALP Member Advocacy Center. From that site, you can quickly send a message to your members of Congress and post social media messages to their Twitter feed and Facebook page. To send messages using any of these methods, just click on the appropriate social media icon – the message is custom designed to allow you to automatically send messages directly to your Congressional representative, and the Tweets include graphics that communicate important facts about H-2B! It’s so easy to use that we encourage you to use all 3 contact methods!
We ask that you please consider customizing the message to convey your personal story. This is the most effective way to underscore the vital need for 2018 cap-relief. In your letter or conversation, include information on why the workforce certainty that is provided through H-2B is so crucial to your business operations. Please also include information that rebuts claims related to H-2B being a cheap labor source that takes jobs away from American workers.
Thanks again for your assistance! The next two weeks are crucial and we must be relentless in our call for 2018 H-2B cap-relief!
