Ask the average Joe if he's heard of the H-2B visa program or ever met a seasonal guest worker, and he’ll probably say no. Ask a member of Congress how he or she feels about expanding the number of H-2B visas available to small businesses each year, and they may be opposed, but they would be in the minority. Included in the recent government funding bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, was a provision that would allow the Department of Homeland Security to offer more visas for the remainder of FY17 than the statutory 66,000 visas already issued. A need still remains for more guest workers this year as more applications were submitted than there were visas available. But luckily for Dan Hawkins, director of agronomy and facility operations at The Club at Flying Horse in Colorado Springs, Colo., his guest workers were approved.

Now in his ninth season utilizing the federal program for temporary, non-agricultural labor, Hawkins couldn’t be happier with the quality of workers returning to his course each year. "This is the best group we’ve had," he said. "They're working hard and what we've found is, we're getting everything done. These guys understand that they are here to do a job, they often do multiple jobs because they enjoy it, and they get paid well for it."

The minimum wage in Colorado is $9.30 an hour, but wage surveys used by the Department of Labor dictate what the pay range will be for seasonal guest workers. For El Paso County, Colo., the DOL determined the rate would be $12-13 per hour. Hawkins is willing to pay higher wages for dependable labor, but that's not the only cost.

"In addition to paying higher wages we also have to pay for lodging and transportation while they are traveling to and from the U.S. as well as consulate fees," he said. "So, it is a costly program for sure, but in our instance, we find that it is the way to go because these guys work hard, they're very efficient, and we're not wasting time training."

Many on Hawkin's staff have returned year after year and are now very familiar with the property, equipment and expectations. The continuity pays off.

"When they get here, they're comfortable, and they know how we operate," Hawkins said. "We are now using some of the H-2B veterans to train the new guys coming up. They're able to speak Spanish, and there is a comfort level for them.."

Aside from the financial obligations, there are also stringent requirements for employers for advertising their open positions and hiring locally if the workforce is available. Positions must be posted in newspapers and on local internet job boards before H-2B visas will be granted, and anyone who responds to an ad must be offered an interview. But with an unemployment rate of 2.4% on the front range of Colorado, finding local labor is nearly impossible.

"Every year that we have done this since 2005, we've had some inquires. This is the first year we never had anyone inquire," the 22-year GCSAA member said.

When the recession hit in 2008, Hawkins saw many landscape and lawncare businesses fold. Naturally, many in the industry pursued work on golf courses, but as housing recovered, those workers returned to their trade, causing a labor shortage once again for Hawkins, so he turned back to the H-2B program.

Having established a reputation as a good employer, Hawkins had no trouble tracking down the same staff he had previously put to work.

"It behooves us to take care of them so that we get them back every year," he said. "That helps us cut down on our training and improves efficiency."

With a staff of more than 300 employees during peak season, the 15-18 guest workers Hawkins applies for each year are a fraction of the total workforce at the facility, but nevertheless, he finds it important to recognize them for their dedication and contributions.

"They do great work on our property, and we want to show them off to our members and feature them in our monthly newsletters so our members get to know them. If we can share a little personal information and history on these guys, then it becomes something the members can talk about and stop and say hi, shake their hand. We appreciate them on the maintenance side and we want our members to realize these are the guys who do a great job keeping the course in good shape," Hawkins said.

The Department of Homeland Security has yet to issue additional visas for FY17 since Congress granted them the authority to do so in early May, leaving some GCSAA members shorthanded heading into their busiest time of year. GCSAA urges support for immediate H-2B cap relief and encourages you to contact the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman by phone at 855-882-8100 or by email at CISOmbudsman.PublicAffairs@hq.dhs.gov to express the need for DHS to resume processing H-2B petitions.

Michael Lee
GCSAA government affairs manager