Posted 3/16/2004 2:11:30 AM by Editor
News from James K. Judkins viewed 3073 times
Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - Washington, DC
President Bush and key members of Congress have been talking up Immigration Reform for the past 3 years, with the issue heating up as the political season has hit full stride.
President Bush and key members of Congress have been talking up Immigration Reform for the past 3 years, with the issue heating up as the political season has hit full stride.
All of the rhetoric has focused upon the problem of Illegal Aliens, devising programs that match available jobs and employers to available workers, and legalizing those who have been in the USA as undocumented workers.
There is an existing program - called the H2b Visa Program - that involves applying to the Department of Labor and Job Service for available US Workers and if the workers are not available they issue a Labor Certificate. The employer then uses the Labor Certificate to apply for visas for workers to fill the temporary or seasonal positions. This is a program that has worked for many years.
Many in the Circus and Carnival industry have been following the proper rules and guidelines to obtain dependable and legal workers for their shows with the H2b Visa Program. This process takes several months to complete and is an expensive and difficult process - but it is worth it if the show can obtain reliable help and improve the safety and efficiency of their operation.
There is a limit to the number of H2b visas that the Immigration and Naturalization Service can issue each year. The limit has never been reached - until this year. We have just been informed that the limit was reached on March 9, 2004 and no additional H2b visas will be issued for this fiscal year.
This is a crisis for many of the shows that have already started the 4-month long process of Department of Labor Certification at considerable effort and expense. I am not overstating the problem by calling it a crisis. This is a crisis for many who are not in the circus and carnival industry as well - amusement parks, restaurant workers, landscape workers, food production workers, fish filleting, meat packing - etc.
Unless immediate action is taken, many summer employers will be left with no option other than shutting their doors. This will economically devastate industries and communities nationwide. There are some carnivals or circuses that will be out of business.
What needs to be done?
Employers across the nation need an immediate increase of 30,000 in the H2b cap for the current fiscal year. This quick fix must be followed in the next fiscal year by a more lasting solution that includes rewarding those who have been following the law and punishing those who have broken the law.
We need YOU to read this letter fully so that you understand the issues involved. This is NOT granting amnesty to illegal aliens or rewarding those who have broken the law. This IS allowing those who have followed the rules, who pay their employees, who pay taxes to run their businesses and hire the employees that they need to stay in business.
PLEASE call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Let them know where you live so that they can transfer your call to your Congressional Office. This person is YOUR REPRESENTATIVE and is in Washington to act upon your concerns. Voice your concerns about this H2b visa cap, and explain that you support an immediate and emergency raising of the cap by 30,000 and real reform for next year.
If you are a circus or carnival explain how this will affect your business. If you are a friend of the circus or carnival industry explain how you support the industry.
This is a crisis for the industry. Please call TODAY. Please forward copies of this letter to all of your friends and associates so that they also contact their congressman - immediate action must be taken right now.
James K. Judkins, President - JKJ Equipment Company dba Circus Chimera
JKJ Workforce JKJudkins@circuschimera.com Friday, March 12, 2004
emailed to: ELim784586@aol.com
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