[Jammie]

Ok, I have a question. I follow your politics and I don't really want this to turn political, but I've never ran across this on the forum or in the Tulsa newspaper. I just know that some of you good folks will have an answer for me.

In our state we have a few motels/restaurants/tourist spots that bring young people in from other countries to work the summer months. Generally Wall Drug likes to hire "campers"~semi-retired people who come up just to work during the summertime. Some places in the Hills area like to hire young, foreign workers. Not far away from here, they had brought people in from the Phillipines to work. Not sure why cause there are basically NO jobs in that area. One couple is even in prison now for their exploitation and basically enslavement of their employees. Guess there are just some people who don't want to pay a fair wage to their employees. Imagine that.

Anyway, we didn't really have that in our immediate area. BUT we've learned that there is just a start of that going on here. The problem I have with that is the fact that many high school students, kids back from college, semi-retired people who'd gladly work a bit more, etc. are being pushed to the side and foreign students are imported. I can't even remember how many people said that their children would not be working this summer cause there's just nothing out there for them.

Our local newspaper generally had one and a half to two pages of employment opportunities starting in May. This year there might be a dozen ads. Our unemployment rate had been very low so I could've understood it in the past, but it's climbing. Our state is at 5%, but I'll bet the town I live in is at 6% or over and that's double what it used to be. SO, why now? Why would ANY business bring non-citizens here to work rather then give the jobs to Americans?

Now I know about the more recent laws passed in OK and the bill they are considering that would make English the state language, etc.

SO, my question is~do any of the cities do the same thing that is starting in my area? Do they bring in foreign workers? Does OK still have enough common sense to give their jobs to their own students/semi-retired people, etc? Anyone know????

[colleeng47]

Hey Jammie, in my neck of the woods (Mustang) just about every teen who wants a job has one. I haven't seen any "imports" here in our town.

When we lived in NJ, we would go to a resort in the Pocono mountains every summer. They had staff who came every year from Poland. It cost the employees in airfare, etc., but they said they made more in a summer in the Poconos than they could all year in Poland, so it was worth it. Most of them came back year after year. They also had a few locals working at the resort, but the owner said it was hard to get local employees who would work 6 days a week (which is what the Polish staff worked), and work split shifts also. The "imported" staff worked as maids in between shifts as waitresses for breakfast and dinner. They worked hard, but they made a lot of money. Just about all of them were college students, and a couple even came for the summers after they finished college since they were employed in Poland as teachers and had the summer off. These two made more in the summer than they did teaching all year in Poland.

[Jammie]

Thank you, Colleen!!! I'm glad to hear that your area isn't doing that. My own area used to seem to have so much common sense and our unemployment rate isn't like in many part of the country. I guess I just feel bad knowing that there are a lot of people who live right here that would gladly take those jobs and yet.... they're given to people from a different country. I'd have no problem with it if the unemployment rate was low and they had no other way of filling them, but that's not the case right now.

There are some people wondering how they'll be able to survive another year of school. Their parents aren't thriving right now and they have no way of contributing either.

There are also semi-retired people who would love to work more since their nest eggs have been cut in half and yet, they aren't able to find much either. Just sad.

[HeatherDawn]

This is the strangest thing I've ever heard of, Jammie. We do have a lot of Mexicans that come up here to find work but I haven't heard of any business owners "importing" people.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by Jammie

SO, my question is~do any of the cities do the same thing that is starting in my area? Do they bring in foreign workers? Does OK still have enough common sense to give their jobs to their own students/semi-retired people, etc? Anyone know????

Oklahoma doesn't have the concentrated tourist industry that requires temporary workers that many states do. And because we are largely ranching communities (horses and cattle) we don't have the need for labor intensive crop picking and fruit harvesting.

I've heard talk about country club kids wanting a job in the country club restaurant for the summer.....but wanting Friday and Saturday nights off. Imported workers will do their job without worrying about their social life.

But to date, I have not heard of anyone importing workers.

[Jammie]

Heather, it's a good sign if you've never even heard of it.

GP, you're very fortunate. Some areas up here have always brought in foreign workers for the summer months. And like I said, workampers often come here and that's no problem. I do understand that most people won't take a three or four month job so they've had to do things like that in some areas here. But it's really not like that anymore. Our days of 3% unemployment are in the past and HOPEFULLY in the future. But we're not thriving right now.

I still have a problem with the fact that the town I live in hasn't done that in the past. Our economy isn't booming and there are students and semi-retireds looking for work and they do this.

Guess I'm just glad to hear that it's not the "norm" down there.

[HeatherDawn]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Oklahoma doesn't have the concentrated tourist industry that requires temporary workers that many states do.

South Dakota has a concentrated tourist industry?

[Goodpasture]

You've never heard of the Black Hills? Or Sturgis? Or Mt Rushmore?

While in Tulsa, people go to Gilcrease, Philbrook, the Cherokee or Creek Casinos, Brookside, Cherry Creek, or the Blue Dome District. Rarely do people come TO Tulsa for those amenities. People go to SD for Sturgis, Mt Rushmore, and the Black Hills...........

[HeatherDawn]

Thanks for your sarcasm and of course, I have heard of those things. I apologize for asking the question without thouroughly googling all possible tourist attractions for South Dakota.

[Goodpasture]

My apologies if I came across too strongly. That was not my intent.