WASHINGTON, DC (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association members Zach Crede and Michael Biafore were at the nation’s capital on Tuesday to advocate for the U.S. Department of Labor’s H-2B program supporting seasonal workers for nursery and landscaping employees.
Crede and Biafore met with members of Congress as part of their efforts and joined forced with H-2B advocates from Mississippi to meet with Senator Joe Manchin in support of the Seasonal Employment Protection Act in the FY25 spending bill. The current bill is set to expire on December 20, 2024, and the Fiscal Year 2025 Labor Department appropriations bill includes language at the time of writing which provides cap relief over the current discretionary language.
“In West Virginia and nationally, many nurseries and landscape depend on well-vetted workers who come to the U.S. for seasonal employment and then go home in the off season,” said Crede. “The landscape industry is seasonal and is the largest user of the H-2B program, accounting for nearly half of all H-2B guest workers the use the program annually. Unfortunately, H-2B has an antiquated cap of 66,000 established in the early 1990s that does not to the demand of the modern U.S. economy.”
According to Biafore, the members’ efforts at the capital were positively received, with Senator Manchin himself having posed questions and provided insight with regard to the program.
“The West Virginia delegation has been very supportive of our call to action,” said Biafore. “Senator Joe Manchin has been a great supporter of the H2B program. When I asked for his advice on championing the program, he responded by asking what we are doing on the ground in Fairmont to make the average person aware of H-2B and the benefits it provides. We need to tell our story better throughout the Mountain State and nationwide.”
Biafore is the President of Biafore Landscape Development in Morgantown, WV, while Crede is the owner of Crede Lawn and Landscaping in Scott Depot, WV.
