The U.S. Department of Defense’s Naval Facilities Engineering Command estimated that up to 10,000 laborers are needed to work on the $1 billion construction projects required by the transfer of 12,000 Marines from Okinawa, Japan to Guam.
The study estimated that 6,000 laborers will migrate to Guam from the continental United States or Hawaii. The remainder will come from the CNMI, the Freely Associated States or from other foreign locations that can provide non-immigrant laborers requiring H2B visas.
On Saipan, the United Workers Movement, NMI is asking the CNMI government to request Guam to accommodate guest workers here whose contracts are about to end or have been recently unemployed.
“I hope the CNMI government and people will not take it against Guam or the guest workers if these laborers grab the opportunity,” said the group’s president, Irene N. Tantiado. “Guam is greener pasture and as such, guest workers should be free to choose.”
Tantiado said while they understand that U.S. citizen laborers in the CNMI are priority, they hope that workers from Philippines, China, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal who are in the CNMI will also be given a chance to apply for the jobs on Guam.
The United Workers Movement, NMI recently conducted a job fair to gather information about the employees here who are interested in working on Guam.
She said this database will be provided to companies, recruitment agencies and the Guam Contractors Association.
In his report dated Sept. 15, Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter told the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, that a significant increase in the construction workforce is needed to complete the construction projects necessary to expand the presence of U.S. military forces on Guam.
“Guam has a limited housing market and the projected increase of construction workers will far exceed the current capacity for temporary accommodations. Various alternatives are being investigated to support the transient workforce,” Winter said in his report.
Under U.S. Public Law 110-229, there will be increase in the ceiling for H2B visas for Guam and the CNMI through 2014.
Winter said one of the approaches being considered for “transient workforce housing/logistical support is to place the responsibility on the individual construction contractors and not with the federal government.”
The department, he added, will ensure that “the contract documents, the source selection process, and contract administration ensure mitigation of any negative socioeconomic impacts [caused by] large numbers of H2B workers.”
He said the department will partner with the appropriate federal agencies to conduct inspections of transient workforce housing to ensure contract compliance. Winter said the current available work force, construction material throughput of the port, utility capacities and existing road conditions, support a current volume of $550 million of construction per year on Guam.
