Maine in the news (Portland: job openings, tenants, wages)

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by Last1Standing

Now, please raise your hand if you want to work on a lobster boat or you know someone who wants to work on a lobster boat. If you do, go see the lobstermen and offer your services, they really need you. Or maybe you're aware of some native Mainers who wanted to work on a lobster boat but an illegal immigrant was hired instead??? Or someone who wanted to work in a restaurant and lost out to an illegal immigrant??



Here's what the owner of Bar Harbor hotels had to say about the labor shortage: "“We’re never in a position of choosing foreign workers over domestic workers because there are no domestic workers to choose from."

These are both statements about pay. These statements mean they can't find anyone at the wages they're willing to pay to work. If they pay enough, they will have all the people they need, and more, apply. Expanding the labor pool through immigration means there will be people willing to work at the wages they're willing to pay, which holds down wages.

Here is a short video that explains this relationship, and addresses all of the counterarguments that have been made in this thread:

https://study.com/learn/lesson/labor...s-factors.html

[Submariner]

Your article also says"

... One-third to half of last year’s wave of immigrants came in through legal channels

Which leaves 2/3s of them as illegals.

From your article, it would seem that 2/3s of these immigrants it is talking about are in fact illegals.

[mainegrl2011]

I live in Hancock County, Maine. I have friends and relatives who work on "the island" seasonally. There is a significant drop in the number of available jobs when "the island" shuts down for the winter. You might be shocked to learn that many Mainers are lifetime seasonal workers. When the tourists go home and the job ends, they may or may not be able to find another job. There are lots of people who want to spend time living and working close to Acadia National Park when jobs are available during the tourist season. There is a Facebook page for employment in Hancock County, Maine which includes Bar Harbor. There is a Facebook page for housing rentals in Hancock County also. From what I have read and heard from others who work on "the island" seasonally, there are domestic people, not immigrants, as well as Europeans and Jamaicans who work in this area seasonally; finding housing is a challenge. Many properties are now AirBnbs, not exactly affordable housing for workers. Some businesses are providing housing or working toward providing housing for seasonal workers.

[mainegrl2011]

I know young people in their 20s who are working full-time. Some worked or are working part-time while in college. Some are currently working more than full-time.

[mainegrl2011]

One of my college professors put it this way. There are three kinds of lies: lies, d$#n lies, and statistics.

[mainegrl2011]

Anytime illegal immigrants are referred to as "newcomers," imo there is an agenda.

[dubthang]

At my past job, I hired many legal immigrants. There were not enough US citizens applying and/or not enough qualified US citizens applying. Our starting wage was over $25 an hour and topped out over $30 an hour within 3 years (plus full benefits).

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by mainegrl2011

One of my college professors put it this way. There are three kinds of lies: lies, d$#n lies, and statistics.

Was that professor, Will Rogers?

[maine4.us]

Obviously you aren't in Washington County. Don't mean that as anything but likely a fact. Tourism is even moving up in downeast, but so are living expenses. Because of the sparsity of the population rural and even above the old Volvo line areas thing simple cost more because of the small numbers of just about anything, including employees. But the wages still aren't enough for most Mainers to have a single job. Great that you can pay that much, most in Maine outside of southern Maine can afford to pay that much. If I am full of it, you have my blessing to tell me!

[Fern435]

A few days ago I drove down to Northern Massachusetts (Portland ) to make a purchase in a retail store. The owner is a classic JFK 1960s liberal, and he spoke to me at great length about the problems he has faced (as a business owner and resident) that "new Mainers" being transported into Maine by the federal government and Gov. Mills have created for Maine. All the points he made are identical to ones made by my husband, a conservative retired military member.

The federal government or the Maine government set people up with a restaurant business, painted it, supplied it, handed the immigrants the keys, and within a month it was trashed. Another issue was the local town government handed them vouchers for free services at businesses that had not agreed to this arrangement. The town simply crafted the voucher, printed them out, and gave them to people without agreeing to pay the business and without letting them know ahead of time they were doing this! Ridiculous.

The next day, our delivery of firewood arrived. My husband spoke at length to the man, and the man (a classic conservative, lifelong Mainer) stated the very same concerns/problems that the man from Portland made. Apparently, American citizens seem to share many of the same grave concerns, even if they used to be classic lifelong Democrats.

It seems like Maine, The Way Life Should Be, has quickly devolved into CrazyTown under a certain administration.