A worker's market
Steamboat has far more jobs than employees
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Under Construction
Read more about how downtown and base-area construction is transforming Steamboat Springs.
On the 'Net
Learn about local employment on the Web at: www.yourworkforce..., or call employment specialist Brian Bradbury of the Steamboat Springs Workforce Center at: 879-3075, or e-mail steamboatsprings@cwfc.net
The immigration issue
Efrin Hernandez, 38, said he came to the U.S. two years ago from Zacatecas, Mexico, on an extended worker's visa. Hernandez works for QM Masonry of Loveland and is part of a crew subcontracted to work on the Alpenglow project on Lincoln Avenue. Taking a break from work Thursday, and conversing through translator and fellow mason Adriel Allen of Craig, Hernandez said many Hispanic people he knows in Colorado are aware of - and "pretty happy" about - immigration reform laws currently under debate in the U.S. Senate.
The legislation would allow immigrants to stay for up to two years in a guest-worker program, increase the number of work visas issued to immigrants and create a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 12 million immigrants currently in the U.S. illegally.
Hernandez said it took him nearly five months to obtain his visa, which was required for his employment.
Jim Hinton of Drahota Construction, project superintendent for Alpenglow, said Drahota has strict regulations for documentation.
"Our company needs to analyze that carefully when hiring people," Hinton said. "They have to have proper documentation. There's an I-9 form that requires various types of identification, and a Social Security number, to prove that they're an eligible, legal, working immigrant:.We have to require that now. There's too much risk and liability to not."
Steamboat Springs — Are you a truck driver, carpenter, excavator driver, welder, house framer, heavy equipment mechanic, diesel mechanic, project foreman, concrete foreman, electrician, service technician, laborer, hauler or finisher?
You're hired.
Openings for all those positions were advertised this week in Steamboat Today, which contained 30 columns of employment ads compared to six columns of housing rentals. Construction ads alone covered more than two columns, not including construction-related openings that spilled into other categories of the classifieds. At the beginning of an unprecedented period of local construction, the labor market in Steamboat Springs is already outpacing the labor pool.
"There are far more jobs than there are employees to satisfy the jobs," said Brian Bradbury, an employment specialist at the state-operated Steamboat Springs Workforce Center in Sundance Plaza. "And that's a change from several years ago. Especially in the past year, the labor pool has really shrunk."
Bradbury said that translates to tough times for local employers.
"We're seeing companies having difficulty finding employees here in town. The construction area is struggling significantly," Bradbury said. "In the construction industry, a lot of people getting the bids are from out of town."
A lot of workers are from out of town as well.
Thursday morning at the Alpenglow development on Sixth Street and Lincoln Avenue, masons Efrin Hernandez of Loveland and Adriel Allen of Craig worked atop scaffolding under a clear blue sky. Both men work for QM Masonry of Loveland, a contracting firm that also will supply labor for Lincoln Avenue projects including Howelsen Place at Seventh Street and The Victoria at 10th Street.
Jim Hinton of Drahota Construction is the project superintendent for Alpenglow. He said QM workers typically travel to Steamboat and work four 10-hour days before returning home for a long weekend.
"Some of our subcontractors have rented townhomes, and some are using hotels," Hinton said.
Hinton said that he has not seen wages change because of the demand for workers - yet.
"I think the higher skilled workforce will be able to draw a higher wage later this year," Hinton said. "I expect that as some of the other large projects get going, it will become increasingly difficult (to fill positions)."
Competition
Hinton said he has a total budget of about $10 million for the three-story Alpenglow project, which will house commercial and residential space in the main building and townhomes in a second building across the alley - a plan similar to Howelsen Place one block west.
While Drahota pays less than $20 an hour for general labor, with wages increasing for skilled positions, Hinton said, he did not want to cite specific wages "because of the competitive nature of some contractors that will be working in the area."
"That could create some issues for our workforce," he said.
Wage levels already are creating issues for owners of smaller local businesses.
Brad Miller, of Miller's Land-scape Design and Lawn Care, said Thursday that he considers himself lucky to only need four employees.
"I'm sure that if I were to put an ad in (local media), I wouldn't get any quality people to work for me," Miller said. "I know other contractors who are really having issues."
Miller said he pays between $12 and $18 an hour, a rate he said is "a lot of money for landscaping."
For people looking to find a job, Hinton said, the pay comparison between small businesses and large construction firms is not hard to see.
"People can come into the construction trade and make a decent living without a lot of experience and without a lot of skills," Hinton said.
The shrinking labor pool is felt in city government as well.
"It's a very difficult situation," said Jim Weber, the city's director of public works. "It impacted us directly this past winter - we weren't able to hire additional staff for on-call snow removal on Lincoln Avenue."
With several new sites either slated or likely for future construction, both downtown and at the base of Steamboat Ski Area, labor issues are not going away in Steamboat.
"It has become such a focus for everyone, and it can't not be," Hinton said, looking at the Lin-coln Avenue skyline while chatting about construction impacts. "But people need to step back a little bit : two years from now, this will be a beautiful street."
Comments
american 5 years, 12 months ago
Do you ever notice that the articles never mention all the illegals taking jobs, that dirve down the wages paid to tax paying citizens? And now thanks to the above article, we will get a influx of illegals for the jobs. It would be nice if law was enforced and officials actually raided construction sites (Maribou site /home of the illegal aliens).....then "so-called" jobs would be available....when you have Jose or Pedro bidding or hiring for $10 bucks cheaper, who do you think will get the job??? Who do you think pays taxes though and has a social security card (not stolen) and pours their pay back into the local economy, rather than wiring it all back to Mexico?
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 12 months ago
Shrinking workforce...where are all those people who say Affordable Housing is a sham? Maybe they can fill all those open positions that illegals are filling. They should have no problem taking a slightly lower pay rate, which might in turn allow the employer to lower costs that get passed on to the consumer.
Also, don't kid yourselves: a large portion of LEGAL residents put their money into Silverthorne's economy.
PVjimmy 5 years, 12 months ago
I wish I had the answer. Like others my wife and I found Steamboat to be a pretty place. We sold our home, paid cash for a small condo in Steamboat. Then we slowly went broke working for low wages and no benefits while living in a noisy crackerbox of a home. Twelve years later I am making more than $35 an hour living in a 1600 sq ft home with a three car garage. It costs only $175000. You will still see us there when we tow our RV through during our month a year vacation. As beautiful as it is there, it is not worth the the trade offs. Half of the wages and triple the housing costs just do not add up.
bluntman 5 years, 12 months ago
Routt County used to be a stronghold for the ku klux klan. it is all too apparent that we still have a rich over-abundance of racists and xenophobes who call this place home. how sad and pathetic you are.
Gladys 5 years, 12 months ago
bluntman - people's negative feelings toward illegals has absolutely nothing to do with racism. How sad and pathetic YOU are to pull the race card. Ridiculous.
dundalk 5 years, 12 months ago
Blunt:
Answer me this - what do the illegal surge of workers bring to us free of charge?
TB, Heph B & C, any number of communicable diseases. They bring us their massive medical debts because most do not have health insurance. WHen they shoot themselves in the hand or any other appendage with the nail gun, who pays for that if the contractor doesn't carry workers comp? Who pays for the birth of their children? Most of these children are coming into a world with a strike against them almost at the first breath.
These are practical and necessary observations. They are not part of some now disbanded KKK faction. These points are not rendered from some "rich [,] over abundant racists". Look at the arrest report some Sunday and observe the many, many workers who are arrested because they are driving drunk. Would your mind look the other direction if you forked out much dinero to support the illegals machoism mentality?
bluntman 5 years, 12 months ago
gladys & ann;
xenophobes and probably latent racists as well.
we as a nation could probably subsidize a program where the illegals are paid to stay at home that would cost far less (in dollars and human life) than the mis-guided adventures going on in Iraq right now. just an idea...
do you really blame the "illegals" for wanting to emigrate to the land of the free (and, more importantly, economic opportunity) just as your ancestors did? you should applaud them for being the exemplary model capitalists that they are.
Gladys 5 years, 12 months ago
yes, my ancestors came here from another country generations ago and became Americans - legally. They learned English and followed American laws. I have no problem with legal immigration - I welcome those less fortunate to the land of opportunity. I welcome them to come work for a decent wage and pay taxes into the system just as I do. I welcome them to get a valid driver's license and car insurance. I welcome them to learn and to teach their children the language of Americans as they maintain their native culture at home.
As for illegals taking jobs away from "legals"... of course they are - they work for less money (and their quality or lack thereof shows that they are getting paid what they deserve) the employer does not have to waste their money on benefits of any kind and therefore the employer can line his pockets with more dough. No brainer. Personally, I would rather pay more for quality.
And the war in Iraq has absolutely nothing to do with the invasion of America. Apples and oranges.
dundalk 5 years, 12 months ago
Blunt:
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who Comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, He shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or Birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's Becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American...There can be no Divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something Else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, The American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is The English language... And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that Is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt 1907
GUESS OLD TEDDY WAS A RAGING RACIST, XENOPHOBE AND PROBABLY A CLOSET KKK MEMBER.
Nice try though Blunt!
dundalk 5 years, 12 months ago
Gladys: According to the flick, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" aren't all of us apples and oranges? thus a nice bowl of fruit?
Gladys 5 years, 12 months ago
LOL - yes obviously many fruits indeed - a virtual fruit salad. And as long as they speak English, follow American law and fly the American flag, I don't care how many fruits jump into the salad.
dundalk 5 years, 12 months ago
Yuck, yuck! Dancing in the red dirt south of the rockies. hope you are well.
BigJelly22 5 years, 11 months ago
Hash, not a bad idea...if everyone did what they say they believe it could make an impact.
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