UNEMPLOYMENT SOARS IN KEY ELECTION STATES

Visa Cap Leaves Cape Without Needed Workers
Only 66,000 Seasonal Work Visas Available In 2004

POSTED: 4:10 pm EST April 1, 2004
UPDATED: 4:37 pm EST April 1, 2004

BOSTON -- Every year, many Cape Cod businesses rely heavily on foreign workers to fill jobs that locals don't want and students can't accept. But the number of work visas available for 2004 has reached the limit, and a lot of businesses have been caught short-handed.

NewsCenter 5's Jorge Quiroga reported that Joanne Baker's Cape Cod bed and breakfast is set to open soon. Guests are booked, but she is left making beds and her husband, Ken, is cleaning bathrooms.

"Our housekeepers would come and they are the ones that do spring cleaning and get everything ready and they are not here," said Baker.

Six Jamaican housekeepers usually do this work at the Palmer House Inn. The workers hired by the Bakers use seasonal work visas known H2Bs.

But this year, the national cap on the program of 66,000 visas was exhausted before the Bakers' application was even considered.

"Because of that, we stopped taking applications for H2B employment as of March 9," said Chris Bentley, of the U.S. Immigration Service.

"I had no idea, there was no warning, no nothing. I have yet to hear from them," said Baker.

Hundreds of Cape businesses have been blindsided -- hotels, restaurants, drugstores and supermarkets now face a summer staffing crisis.

Foreign workers make up 20 percent of the extra employees hired for the tourist season.

"I can't sit here and tell a bride (we) don't have enough wait staff to take care of her wedding," said Cape restaurant owner Bill Zamer. Zamer, who runs four restaurants, including the Coonamesset Inn, is one of the lucky ones. He got the OK and his 75 seasonal workers started to arrive this week.

"If I don't have these workers, I have to curtail the size of my business dramatically," said Zamer.

Employers on the Cape say foreign seasonal workers are vital to the economy. Business owners say these workers do jobs many locals won't, and they also fill the gap in a tourist season that stretches from the spring before student workers get out of school, until the fall well after they have gone back to the classroom.

Immigration officials deny allegations the cap has never been strictly enforced.

"It's been close in a couple of years, but we have never exceeded or even met the cap. This year there is just a much greater demand," said Bentley.

And that leaves Baker totally overwhelmed.

"Nobody can run 17 rooms with just two people," said Baker.

Earlier this week, Sen. Edward Kennedy filed legislation that would allow an emergency increase of 40,000 visas -- dubbed the "Save The Summer Act of 2004."

"If we're hurting for jobs why is Sen. Kennedy asking to allow 40,000 more people to come into this country to work?" fishin'

Not to worry.

Your hero, George "aWol" Bush, wants to grant citizenship to somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 8 million illegals from Mexico before his term is finally over.

That should more than solve the housecleaning staff dilemma on Cape Cod.

Rewarding citizenship to the greatest country on earth to lawbreakers -- at last I know what was meant by the phrase "compassionate conservative."[/color]

Unemployment rates increased in February in nine of 17 battleground states that could decide the presidential election in November.

So lighten up. No one can be wrong all the time, and this is Bush's turn to be right.

doglover:

From a man born into an American aristocracy and who didn't get his first job until age 40.

After class Bush went yachting.

Sure, they deserve a break, but what they will get is a raw deal.