Thread: Oklahoma: Lodging workers leaving state

Think about it...if they can choose between some-one who will only stay for a year or two or some-one they think might stay a lifetime and hardly ever complain...guess who gets the job.

That is why a contracting service might be prefreable than simply restaffing with Americans. Not that students wouldn't need jobs, too. But someone, or a group, in a smaller community could establish an enterprise, rather than the hotel--with a high overhead--keep hiring employees.

Actually, I think there is great turnover in the illegal community. Some stay in one place for long periods, but many move around - a lot.

The idea of a contract business seems really great. As someone said the hours are great for working moms, and students. Also, a contractor could make the schedule for someone to work as many or few days a week as they could.

Also, I think a contracting company could/would be able to provide a constant workforce for them.

You know, maybe someone in OK should start this business. They don't have to wait until the illegals leave - if they do. Maybe the business owner would like to be able to have a dependable workforce, have someone else to handle the grips, problems, paperwork and be able to say, with pride, that they only employ citizens.

I think the hotel industry, and its hiring of illegals, has been a product of an upwardly mobile population and a growing population. I'm not saying there aren't plenty of blue collar road warriors, either.

Perhaps more internet communications will reduce the amount of business traveling for meetings of various sorts.

Originally Posted by Mayday

Hotel and motel cleaning jobs are perfect for teenagers and moms with school age children. For moms the hours jive perfectly with school hours. Mom can start the job after she takes the kids to school and she is done with her job before the kids are out of school. Another great benefit of this job is you do get some exercise and you also get to use the pool for free.

I agree, those are great jobs for teens. Kids need more options than McDonalds.

Hi Captain Ron,

Originally Posted by Captainron

Perhaps more internet communications will reduce the amount of business traveling for meetings of various sorts.

Uh, Captain Ron, sorry to contradict you; I think the hotel industry isn't aware of that; hotel construction is going on fast and furious all over the country (providing jobs for illegals and payroll for mexico)

Hotel owners (franchisees, etc) are winking at their housekeeping contracting companies.

Where are the guests coming from? I stayed at a hotel in San Diego a while back, it was full of non-immigrant H-1B visa card holders; I was in a minority. There was a job fair downstairs in their ball room, for H-1Bs with no jobs for Americans. Well, it might have been H-1Bs, and their handlers and owners, instead of the cheap labor H-1Bs by themselves.

Construction of all sorts is going on fast and furious wherever there are cheap loans because of our Fed Reserve policy. But I think you're right: we're getting flooded with H-Ib visas, too.

What will the long term trend be and will it reduce the demand for illegal labor? Well, I do know that a rapidly swelling poulation combined with the elevation of more people to managerial roles is a stimulus for business travel and consequently hotel use. I am not sold that the US does need a rapidly growing population to be strong and successful. But there are other causes for hotel demand, too.

So what will reduce the demand for illegal hotel room cleaners and other hospitality industry personnel?

I have a good Idea, how about some incentive for welfare recipients to subsidize their welfare and that will give them a little more money to live on, then there won't be so many "nutrition deprived" people. or "Hungry" if you are not worried about Political correctness.

The problem is they need to over haul the welfare system, these poeple are penalized for working in stead of working and welfare making up what they need to survive and feed their children. With welfare it is one or the other and most uneducated, especially single parent homes can not make enough to get by, especially after child care.

I think just alittle common sense would go along way!!

The downturn in construction due to the subprime mortgage crisis and the impending general recession/depression should also decrease the demand for foreign labor.

I also see a lot of commercial construction going on and I am puzzled about it. It is not for grocery stores, regular clothing stores, etc. It is usually for the pet stores, Starbuck's, some kind of overpriced or very trendy clothing store, etc. In other words, stores that are not going to survive in an iffy economy.

Now I love my kitties very much, before pet lovers get angry. Those huge stores have a lot more in them than animal food and medicene.

I'm from Edmond too, and I'm hearing a lot of contractors complaining, so it's having an effect. These contractors think if they can't compete legally, then that's a license to operate illegally. I'm sure the undocumented pharmacists running the meth labs felt the same way when Oklahoma passed laws to shut them down too.

There used to be a steady stream of white vans with Texas tags hauling illegals all over the place around here. I haven't seen one in a while, so that's good news too.

I think a few heavily funded pro-illegal groups are running scare campaigns to gain support for their cause. The backlash for them is the illegals may believe a lot of their claims and run. If people aren't hiring illegals or here illegally, they should have nothing to worry about.

The bottom line is this: If these employers are having problems because of this house bill, then they were breaking the law to begin with. Not much more to say there.