Enhancement Team Member

Work description

Back to Nature Landcare, Inc. respectfully submits the following statement to establish its need for five (5) temporary, peakload Enhancement Team Members to perform new irrigation system preparation and installation and paver installation services to our clients from November 1, 2026 to March 30, 2027. This request for Enhancement Team Members from November 1, 2026 March 30, 2027 satisfies the statutory and regulatory requirements, because it is a request for temporary labor based on a peakload need. The H-2B nonimmigrant visa program permits employers to hire foreign workers to perform temporary non-agricultural labor or services in the United States on a one-time occurrence, seasonal, peakload, or intermittent basis. 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b); 8 C.F.R. 214.2(h)(6); 20 C.F.R. 655.6(b)). Our temporary need for H-2B workers is based upon our company experiencing a peakload need throughout the period of proposed employment. While we regularly employ permanent workers who perform the requested labor at our place of employment, based upon customer demand and the lack of a sufficient number of legal, local workers, we must supplement our permanent staff to meet the peak demand we will experience this coming season. The requested H-2B workers will supplement our permanent staff on a temporary basis during those months of the calendar year when customer demand exceeds the work capacity of our existing staff. The period when we are unable to meet this customer demand and require the assistance of the H-2B workers is our proposed period of employment. Once this temporary demand ends, we will no longer require the assistance of the H-2B workers as our permanent staff is able to manage the significantly reduced workload. The Enhancement Team Member position is assigned to the Employer's irrigation installation and enhancement division and performs physically demanding construction activities associated with new irrigation system installations, site preparation, trench excavation, pipe installation, hardscape construction, paver installation, and related landscape improvement projects. These projects require substantial manual labor and must be completed within customer-driven construction schedules. Furthermore, our payroll costs peak during the cooler months. Our payroll records for 2024 and 2025 confirm a substantial and predictable increase in labor demand during the November through March irrigation installation and enhancement season, when cooler temperatures make it feasible to safely install and test irrigation systems without the operational restrictions imposed by extreme Arizona heat. In 2024, the designated occupation workforce grew from a low of 9 workers in May and June to 15 workers by November, with total hours worked rising from approximately 1,390 to 2,571 hours per month and total earnings increasing from approximately $28,864 to $47,029 per month during that same period. This same seasonal pattern repeated in 2025, with worker counts climbing from 9 workers in June to 15 workers in November, and monthly earnings rising from approximately $28,864 to $51,565. These figures demonstrate that our labor costs and staffing needs are directly tied to the seasonal construction window in which irrigation enhancement work can practically and safely be performed, creating a genuine peakload need for additional workers during the November through March period that cannot be met through the permanent, year-round workforce alone. The requested November 1 start date coincides with the beginning of the primary landscape construction season in central Arizona. During the summer months, extreme temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit throughout Phoenix, Maricopa County, and Pinal County, limiting customer willingness to undertake major landscape renovation and installation projects. *** PLEASE SEE ADDENDUM **