By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA
Of The Gazette Staff

Steve Wahrlich considers it a gamble. But it's a gamble worth taking.

As owner of the Best Western Clock Tower Inn in downtown Billings, Wahrlich looks forward to the arrival of three legal foreign workers this spring.

"If it works out, we'll pat ourselves on the back," he said. "If it doesn't work out, we've wasted our time and money and we'll turn to something else."

The bottom line is, the status quo isn't working for Wahrlich. And he's not the only one struggling to find good employees in the county's ever-shrinking labor pool. "This problem will not go away," he said. "We're all chasing this 2 percent unemployment. We have to start doing something different."


Better wages, benefits
"Something different" could translate to better wages and benefits. But even jobs well above the state's new minimum wage are crying to be filled.

At the Clock Tower Inn, wages average nearly $8 an hour for housekeeping and laundry help. But Wahrlich still comes up short when the busy season hits. He's worried about burnout with his permanent staff, yet the shrinking ranks of the unemployed offer him few options.

"The people who have a good work ethic are already working," he said.

That's why Wahrlich signed up with Osmar Torres, a Billings businessman who lines up legal foreign workers for employers in Montana and several other states. Torres, a native of Argentina with permanent-resident status here, started off recruiting for one Billings hotel. Recently, he has added 17 Yellowstone County clients and opened offices in Missoula and Helena.

"It just hit," Torres says of the booming demand.

In the past month, Torres has brought 80 foreign workers to the Billings area. He has hired 114 more who are expected to arrive by May 1. Coming with skills as varied as English teacher and computer technician, they will fill jobs ranging from cooks to construction workers, roofers to dishwashers, truck drivers to maintenance staff. The list also includes chefs, pastry chefs, cabinet makers, customer service, and waiters and waitresses. Torres says he's also gotten calls from nursing homes in need of help.


Legitimate need
But before Torres can rally recruits, he must prove a legitimate need. To do that, he must advertise job openings and interview applicants here. As another means of substantiating that need, new regulations require potential employers to provide detailed information on their staffing, hours and payroll for the previous fiscal year.

"They want to make sure there is a need for the foreign labor," Torres said.

Once the need is established, the hunt begins. Finding qualified applicants keeps Torres on a global whirlwind tour, from Mexico to Argentina to Australia. Last week, he was home from Mexico just two days before jetting to Chicago for a 14-hour flight to India. Within days of his return, he's headed back to Mexico and eventually to the Philippines and possibly on to China. He smiles when asked about his frequent flier miles.

"I can upgrade to first class. That I know," he said.

The expenses involved in the search are primarily covered by the employer. The workers' air fare and visas, however, are typically paid by the worker through monthly payroll deductions once they start working.

During his global jaunts, Torres advertises and interviews applicants in the countries he visits. Anyone who has ever spent more than 10 days in the United States is not even considered, he said, explaining that if someone has stayed here longer than that, he or she has probably been working in the country illegally.

Applicants that pass Torres' scrutiny are next subject to extensive screening that involves an FBI background check, fingerprinting, and drug tests.

"If they don't meet the criteria, they don't get approved," he said. "It's as simple as that."

Potential workers not only must meet strict standards, they also must survive a numbers game. Only 60,000 nonimmigrant works visas are permitted nationwide, he said.

"And the visas are going out faster than they were in the past," Torres said.

According to figures from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service), the number of nonimmigrant workers and dependents in Montana increased from 1,094 in 2004 to 1,370 in 2005.

Once in the United States, each worker receives a Social Security card that states the business for which he or she will work. In that way, employees cannot use the card to jump from job to job, Torres said. All foreign workers pay into Social Security, as well as all state and federal taxes.

As for skills, the requirements differ depending on the job to be filled, Torres said. Due to the nature of the placements in this region, fluency in English is a must for at least 90 percent of the incoming workers.

From start to finish, the process typically takes months. And it's not uncommon for visas to stall in one of the several agencies involved. Already, Torres is recruiting for the second half of 2007 and the first half of 2008.

"This is not for everybody," he said. "And it's not easy."

In spite of the time and cost involved, employers like Wahrlich are so desperate for help that they're willing to take the gamble. And as president of the Billings Hotel and Lodging Association, Wahrlich knew he was not alone. That's why he invited Torres to speak to the organization. Their affirmative reception gave Torres the thumbs-up to serve as the go-to guy for the group's 40-plus members.

Wahrlich hopes that by bringing in foreign workers - he's thinking particularly of foreign students who want to earn money while experiencing the American culture - he will be able to bridge the gap between being understaffed and being staffed adequately.

It's not about replacing local workers with cheap labor, he says. In fact, the minimum wage for nonimmigrant workers is above the state's minimum wage. Established by the Department of Labor, their pay is relative to the prevailing wage for the position they fill. Instead, Wahrlich sees foreign workers as a means of filling the void he can't seem to fill locally. Ultimately, he thinks the decision should take the pressure off his permanent employees.

"I'm pushing my people beyond what's reasonable," he said. "This should allow them a much more normal work environment."

Once the workers arrive, Wahrlich knows there will be an acclimation period. They must adjust not only to new co-workers and a new job, but also a new culture and a new community.

"My gut tells me the first week is crucial," he said. "That's my plan for making my investment pay off."

Contact Linda Halstead-Acharya at 657-1241 or lhalstead-acharya@billingsgazette.com.


Published on Sunday, February 04, 2007.
Last modified on 2/3/2007 at 11:59 pm

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