From: Theodore Van Oosbree [Email him]
After visiting several national parks this summer, I was struck by the large number of foreign nationals working for the park concessions. I queried my congressman about it and he assured me these people were volunteers and everything was on the up-and-up. I replied that these people were waiting tables and cleaning cabins, which did not strike me as volunteer-type work; and if it were, these people were slave laborers holding positions that Americans should be doing for pay.
See previous letters from Theodore Van Oosbree
James Fulford writes: There was a tragic death recently in Yellowstone of an 18-year old Russian girl from Kaliningrad. She died in a fall from a ledge on her first day working there. She had been hired by a private concession company, Xanterra Parks And Resorts, which regularly advertises for students who have a J-1 Exchange Visitors' Visa. Working conditions include mess-hall style food and “dormitory-style facilities with communal baths. Nearly all employees will share a room with a roommate. ”
Which is not bad for summer student work, especially in Yellowstone, but it should be going to American students.
