There aren’t enough Americans
President Donald Trump’s upscale Mar-a-Lago club received permission from the federal government to temporarily hire 70 foreign housekeepers, waiters and cooks to fill out its staff during its upcoming busy season, with its managers attesting there aren’t enough Americans qualified, willing and available to do the work.
Liars. When Americans apply to do the work Mar-a-Lago doesn’t hire them.
The president’s hiring of foreign workers at the Florida resort over several years was criticized by his opponents during the 2016 campaign after he slammed companies for moving jobs out of the U.S. and others for hiring immigrants in the country illegally. During the Republican primary debates, Trump defended Mar-a-Lago’s hiring practices, saying not enough Americans apply for its low-end service jobs and if his managers didn’t recruit outside the country “we might as well just close the doors.”
Or his managers could up the pay offered – ever think of that? If you pay a decent wage, enough Americans damn well will apply for those service jobs, and those decent wages will help boost the local economy; win-win.
Under requests approved by the U.S. Labor Department, Mar-a-Lago can employ 35 foreign waiters, 20 cooks and 15 housekeepers to help serve its 500 members starting this month through May 31. The waiters will receive $11.88 an hour with no tips, the cooks $13.34 an hour and the housekeepers $10.33 an hour. The waiters’ and cooks’ wages are slightly above the national average for those fields and the housekeepers’ slightly below, according to Labor Department statistics.
So pay the waiters and housekeepers $20 and the cooks $25. Spread the wealth a little.
Mar-a-Lago has made similar requests in recent years, ranging from 88 employees in 2014 down to 64 last year.
And Mar-a-Lago is not alone. Many other high-end resorts and clubs in Palm Beach County annually receive similar approvals from the government, including 141 foreign employees this year for The Breakers, a historic beachfront hotel near Mar-a-Lago, and 65 for The Polo Club of Boca Raton. All are offering wages roughly similar to Mar-a-Lago, according to their Labor Department filings. The area’s peak tourist season is from about Thanksgiving to Easter.
The workers are hired under the H-2B visa program, which is for seasonal, non-agriculture employees and is capped at 66,000 nationally per year.
How does Trump know they’re not Sekrit Mooslim Terrorisssts?
I’ve always suspected that a certain class of rich white person enjoys being served by invisible poor brown people. This news isn’t disabusing me of that opinion.
I know a number of Americans who would gladly work for the salary listed; most of them are white.
Yeah, but if they increase the pay, that means lower profits and that’s a big no-no.
Are these all coastal resorts?
If so roll on sea level rise. May I suggest the owners be obliged (at gunpoint if necessary) to stay put.
I have images of Trump enthroned on the shore line surrounded by his cronies trident in hand commanding the tide to retreat. Unlike Cnut he will no doubt believe his sycophantic entourage.
Even global warming has it’s silver lining.
Yes they are. Florida and its resorts are very vulnerable to flooding. Those places shouldn’t even be there. Miami shouldn’t be there. Coastal Florida is doomed.