As controversy brews around the nation about the hiring of guest workers from abroad, TopCare Lawn Service, Inc, the University's landscaping service, has drawn attention for being St. Louis' leading employer of H-2B guest workers.
TopCare's employees, whose duties include lawn care, litter pickup, snow removal and trash hauling, are representative of a growing number of non-U.S. citizens being recruited seasonally to work under temporary visas.
All of the approximately 36 full-time employees who currently keep the grounds of the University work under contract for TopCare Lawn Service, Inc.
Washington University has used TopCare's services since 1992. In the last fiscal year, University resource management spent $2.7 million on its contract with TopCare.
"They provide a good service and they treat their employees well," said Paul Norman, grounds manager for the University.
According to the United States Labor Department, over 2,700 guest workers were approved last year to work under H-2B (non-agricultural) programs in the St. Louis area, as compared to about 1000 in 2001.
A recent report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch showed that TopCare, which is based in Fenton, Mo. and actively recruits guest workers from Mexican villages, employed 310 H-2B workers last year, more than any other St. Louis-area corporation.
Repeated attempts to contact the TopCare corporate headquarters went unanswered.
Although TopCare's employee wages are not determined by the University, all full-time employees on the campus must be given a minimum entry-level wage of $8.50 according to University guidelines. The University does not offer insurance or benefits to its contracted TopCare workers.