The American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) and the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) are asking members of Congress to sign a discharge petition filed by Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) on H.R. 1843, the “Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2007.” The livelihood of the landscape industry and its American workforce is dependent on immediate congressional action, the associations say.
Employers continue to face increased immigration enforcement pressure from the federal government, as well as state and local governments. Congress has yet to renew the H-2B returning worker exemption, which expired Sept. 30 last year. The failure to act is placing hardship on previously thriving family businesses and has already resulted in many millions of dollars of lost revenue this year, the associations say. The luckiest businesses in the industry look forward to getting their H-2B employees next month and recovering some of the spring season.
“The adequate availability of H-2B workers will play a critical role in the continued success and future viability of the landscape sector,” says Dwight Hughes, Jr., president of ANLA and owner of Hughes Nursery and Landscaping. “As a significant consumer of nursery stock, equipment and supplies, if landscape firms don’t have sufficient staff, there will be serious ripple effects throughout the entire green industry.”
PLANET estimates that the approximately 2,800 landscape companies participating in H-2B spend about $77.28 million annually just on landscape equipment. In addition, they spend approximately $115.36 million annually on fleet vehicles, $2.8 million on payroll services, $6 million annually on computers, $4.3 million annually on tires, and $13.6 million on cell phones and wireless radios.
“The H-2B users in the landscape industry have a large impact on the U.S. economy,” says Jason Cupp, CLP, president of PLANET and owner of Highland Outdoor in Olathe, Kansas. “If these landscape companies suffer, supplier companies will feel the economic downturn as well.”
Increased enforcement efforts combined with new and sometimes conflicting state and local immigration laws underscore the need for comprehensive immigration reform, the associations say. But it seems that legislative efforts to address broader immigration issues are unlikely to succeed this year. The industry associations hope the Boustany discharge petition will compel congressional action before the landscape industry and other seasonal businesses suffer further economic losses.