Torres: Contract workers are not just numbers

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres expressed the CNMI’s need to retain contract workers by saying that they are not just numbers, but an integral part of the CNMI community.

Speaking to nursing students at Northern Marianas College last week, the discussion about the plight of CW-1 visa workers came up when a student asked Torres about the issue.

“The CW-1 issue is a very critical part of our economy. They are the driving force of today’s development. Without them, there will be a shortfall of labor here. We are currently working with various agencies such as the U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services and Homeland Security in [Washington,] D.C. about our continuous need for contract workers,” Torres said.

Currently, the CNMI has 12, 998 CW slots for fiscal year 2017 plus the recent 350 slots that opened which specifically identified CW slots for nurses and engineers. Torres expressed concern over the situation when only a certain number of contract workers are maintained in the CNMI.

“If we only maintain that, that means our economy can only grow that much. It’s a steady economy because of our labor. But if we do not increase labor, our economy will also not increase,” he said.

According to Torres, he is set to fly to Washington, D.C. this weekend to meet with federal officials and legislators.

“I’m flying to D.C. to meet with the Department of Homeland Security of USCIS and several senators who are lobbying and working to extend the CW situation in the CNMI from 2019 to 10 years after that. So we are going to ask the Legislature, the 436 congressmen and 100 senators to lobby on our importance here,” he said.

Torres said we need to show the “whys” why we need CW workers and why do we need to ask for extension.

“Their biggest concern is why do we continue to ask for CW workers and why can’t we hire U.S. citizens? If they only knew how far we are, if they knew our geographical location, if they knew we are only 12 miles long and 4.5 miles wide, and if they only knew what it is like to be out here then it’s easy to make a decision. But the reality is, probably one or two members of the [U.S.] legislature have been out here,” he said.

“The people from D.C. that picks up pieces of legislation just draws down numbers. For them, reducing numbers and making regulations are much easier said than done. They do not realize the people’s lives affected here,” he added.

According to Torres, he, Lt. Gov. Victor B. Hocog, and the governor’s staff are in constant communication with D.C. to inform them of our life here. Torres wants to emphasize that every time USCIS reduces one CW worker, the outcome is not a reduction of just one employee but it affects that person’s life and the lives around that person.

Prior to 2009 and the passage of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act, or Public Law 110-229, where the federal government assumed responsibility for administration and enforcement of immigration matters in the CNMI, there were about 24,000 contract workers in the CNMI.

“The ultimate goal was to zero out all contract workers in 10 years. Even at that period of time, 2009, if you hire everyone on island, we still need contract workers. So the truth is, no matter what stage we are in economically, we will always need contract workers because we do not have enough U.S. citizens here who is eligible to work,” Torres said.

The governor said all efforts to hire U.S. citizens have been done. He mentioned Best Sunshine and Kensington Hotel even went abroad to hire U.S. citizens to work in the CNMI.

“We have two companies that went abroad. BSI spent almost $1.2 million and was able to hire about 150 employees right before Typhoon Soudelor. But after the typhoon hit the CNMI, 80 percent of them left because they couldn’t handle being without water and power,” he said.

“Kensington spent over $400,000 and able to employ only 20 people. Who will leave their state for a job that pays a little bit higher than minimum wage, pay for utilities, lodging, food, and at the same time miss their families? So it tells you that even if you are to go out and hire U.S. workers, it’s just not viable,” he added.

Torres also shared that Shirley’s Coffee Shop in Susupe shut down a year ago because two of their cooks were not able to get CW-1 visa.

“How can you operate a restaurant without a chef? When the D.C. delegate came over, we actually brought them to Shirley’s and met with a lot of affected folks and businesses showing that every number that they (USCIS) reduce actually hampers our economic growth here and many live are affected,” he said.

“The contract workers are not here for just one project where they come and then leave. They are part of our contributing members o it is important that we continue to go to D.C. and advocate the importance of our CW workers here,” Torres added.

Torres remembered the hardships the CNMI went through several years ago when as Senate president, he was constantly being asked why he was cutting down on salaries and budget.

“Today, we are able to provide programs that we never had before because we didn’t have the resources. Now, it easy to sit down and talk about our priorities and making sure that we give you the services that the people need.”

“I will do everything to stabilize the government and stretch what we have. That is the commitment from the government side,” he added.

Torres’ immediate plan is to ask for an increase in contract workers from 12,998 up to 18,000 and extend the program from 2019-2029.