“The holiday season…is less merry this year because establishments cannot hire the needed staff, particularly as the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the American Business Immigration Coalition sent a letter (full text below) to President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, signed by hospitality industry leaders, companies, and organizations across the nation, pushing for immigration reform.
“We are struggling to find workers and are shutting down our businesses or cutting back on hours of operation because we can’t find waiters, cooks, housekeepers, managers, and people of all skill levels to hire, despite providing good pay, benefits, bonuses, and other incentives. The holiday season, which usually brings an uptick in business due to office and family parties, is less merry this year because establishments cannot hire the needed staff, particularly as the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread,” stated the letter, signed by 25 members of the hospitality industry. Signatories included: Mike Kaplan, President and CEO, Aspen Skiing Company, Colorado; Sam Toia, President & CEO, Illinois Restaurant Association; and Gregory Dugal, Director of Government Affairs, HospitalityMaine.
The immigration proposal that has passed the House as part of the reconciliation bill – a measure indefinitely stalled in the Senate – would allow an estimated seven million people, including millions of Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders and essential workers, to apply for temporary work authorizations and protections from deportation. Immigration reform would ease the chronic labor shortage that contributes to inflation, the business leaders noted.
The letter elaborated on the important role undocumented immigrants play in the U.S. hospitality industry, which employs almost 15 million people and relies heavily on talent from the immigrant community. “One in three workers in the hotel and accommodation industry are immigrants. One in five food service workers are immigrants. Our sector could not function without these dedicated and critically important immigrant workers,” the letter noted.
While the hospitality sector, like other industries, has appealed to Congress for immediate relief, the House-passed proposal is temporary. Business leaders also want permanent solutions.
“You have the power to address the labor shortage which contributes to rising inflation by passing the temporary work authorizations and deportation protections included in the House-passed version of the budget reconciliation bill. But temporary solutions are not enough. Our economy needs pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, farmworkers, and essential workers immediately. This will help every American by adding $121 billion per year to our economy, including an additional $31 billion in federal, state and local taxes,” according to the letter.
The letter’s signatories include:
Mike Kaplan, President and CEO, Aspen Skiing Company, Colorado
Sam Toia, President & CEO, Illinois Restaurant Association
Ben Conniff, Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Luke’s Lobster, Maine
Gregory Dugal, Director of Government Affairs, HospitalityMaine
Clodagh Lawless, Owner, The Dearborn, Illinois
Brian Maggiotto, Owner, Inn at Manchester, Vermont
Anne Marisic, Marketing & Communication, Maine Beer Company
Sarah Morris, Fifth Generation Host, Basin Harbor, Vermont
Heather Sanborn, Co-Owner, Rising Tide Brewing Company, Maine
Jessica DesVeaux, Owner/Manager, West Street Cafe, Maine
Jim Brady, President, Fathom Companies, Maine
Robert Smith, Lighthouse Keeper, Sebasco Harbor Resort, Maine
Jon Stein, Founder, Fogtown Brewing, Maine
Chris Romer, President & CEO, Vail Valley Partnership, Colorado
Billy Lawless, Founder/Owner, The Gage and The Dearborn, Illinois
Sylvia Lam, Owner and Founder, Decoevento, LLC, Florida
William Fisher, Founder, Austin Street Brewery, Maine
Shannon Allen, CEO, Grown, Florida
Manuel Betancur, CEO/Owner, Manolo’s Bakery, North Carolina
Mayra Gallo, Owner, Bonjour Main, South Carolina
Cristina Vernet, Owner, La Casserola, Florida
Dana Street, Founder/Owner, Fore Street, Scales, Street & Co. restaurants, Maine
James Baron, CEO, MESA SW MANAGEMENT LP, Texas
Gonzalo Ulivi, CEO, Silverspot Cinema, Florida
Irayda Flores, Owner, Pescaderia el Puerto de Guaymas, Arizona
FULL LETTER:
Dear President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leaders McConnell and McCarthy:
As leaders in the hospitality industry, including restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions, and members of the bipartisan American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), we write to urge you to include immigration reform in the budget reconciliation bill. This action is urgently needed to address the nation’s labor shortage, which has hit our businesses especially hard. Too many employers in our sector have been forced to hang signs that say, “Closed for the Season Due to Labor Shortage.”
There are 11 million jobs open in the U.S., including about one million jobs in our sector.
We are struggling to find workers and are shutting down our businesses or cutting back on hours of operation because we can’t find waiters, cooks, housekeepers, managers, and people of all skill levels to hire, despite providing good pay, benefits, bonuses, and other incentives. The holiday season, which usually brings an uptick in business due to office and family parties, is less merry this year because establishments cannot hire the needed staff, particularly as the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread.
The hospitality industry employs almost 15 million people and relies heavily on talent from the immigrant community. One in three workers in the hotel and accommodation industry are immigrants. One in five food service workers are immigrants. Our sector could not function without these dedicated and critically important immigrant workers.
You have the power to address the labor shortage which contributes to rising inflation by passing the temporary work authorizations and deportation protections included in the House-passed version of the budget reconciliation bill. But temporary solutions are not enough. Our economy needs pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, farmworkers, and essential workers immediately. This will help every American by adding $121 billion per year to our economy, including an additional $31 billion in federal, state and local taxes.
The immigration proposal now pending in the Senate would provide about seven million temporary work permits for immigrants already living in the U.S. This step would be a welcome change that will help us hire the workers we need, but the hospitality industry urges you to further pass a path to permanent legalization and citizenship. Temporary permits offer workers no assurances that they can stabilize their lives and families or grow careers with us over the long term. We need immigrant workers and they need the dignity and stability that only citizenship can provide.
At a time when our nation seems divided, Americans are united in their support for common sense immigration reform. A bipartisan ABIC poll of battleground voters found 3-to-1 support for including pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the budget reconciliation bill, given their economic contributions. Support was widespread across the political spectrum from Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
Please remember that immigrants are part of the solution to America’s challenges, including the unprecedented labor shortage that is a factor in rising inflation. The time for action is now.