Ethan Lindenberger enjoyed his part-time job. The college student worked in an arcade at an Ohio amusement park. He played virtual reality games during breaks and made friends with his coworkers. He was a natural communicator and was able to sell passes and repair the machines when there were no tickets.He said that the park had once offered employees a small reward for every review they generated on Facebook. However, so many reviews could have been attributed to him, management reduced his $800 payout. Lindenberger (20 years old) was promoted within a few months after he started the job in fall 2019. He also began training new employees. BuzzFeed News told him that he was very, really good at his job and enjoyed it. However, in March 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued a stay-at-home order to stop the spread of COVID-19. To stop the spread of COVID-19 Mike DeWine issued an order for stay-at-home. The park was closed along with all other state businesses. Lindenberger was among the 125,000 workers at amusement parks nationwide who were furloughed. He recalls talking to a colleague about the possibility that the coronavirus could reach the US. It suddenly changed from "You think this could possibly be a problem?" to "Sorry, guys, go home," he said. His first shift was back scheduled after the park reopened to public in June 2020. He was concerned that he would lose his unemployment income if the park didn't open to him. People aren't entitled to unemployment benefits unless they are eligible for certain exceptions. He said that he chose to return to Ohio out of necessity. He said that he was like "OK, well, I'll check it out [and] to see if they are handling things safely." Lindenberger reported that he witnessed a large number of people without masks standing in line shoulder to shoulder after returning from the park. According to him, the park's capacity was not limited. He reported his concerns to management and was told that he could approach guests to instruct them to put on masks. He felt that the guidance was too limited and too late. He said that to do the job, one had to be close to people and listen to their stories over the loud machines. Because it was so busy, you had to be engaged with large groups that weren't wearing masks at all. The only practical solution was to just keep your personal safety and comfort. He said that he would have continued working at the park if Lindenberger hadn't shown such disregard for safety.You were constantly interacting with large groups of people who were not wearing masks.Valerie Macon / AFP through Getty Images A Six Flags Magic Mountain employee cleans the turnstiles at Six Flags Magic Mountain's entrance on April 1, 2021 in Valencia, California.On the other hand, former and current employees are looking at their value and pushing for higher wages. They are also looking at other options that fit their interests and ideologies. Leticia Rutkowsky (23), a former employee at an amusement park said that she could find better jobs by looking at job listings and also get a better salary. It's something I believe a lot of people are also seeing. The biggest hiring hurdle is the federal pandemic unemployment income. This provides jobless Americans an additional $300 per week. Speigel believes that there are many potential workers in high schools and colleges who avoid seasonal jobs to make more money from unemployment. He said that he believes they are in their basement playing with their Wii and Xbox. Speigel stated that part-time workers are not collecting unemployment and choosing jobs that pay marginally less than amusement parks, even if this means they spend their time in hot kitchens instead of outside. While many Republican politicians have given credence to the notion of opportunistic unemployment, some workers argue that jobs in amusement parks can be physically hardy, require extensive training and are more lucrative. Rutkowsky applied immediately for a job at $10.50 per hour as a ride operator shortly after Texas's park announced its reopening in June 2020. BuzzFeed News reported that she was initially trained to operate six rides twice the responsibility of experienced employees, but made many mistakes. After her hire, Rutkowsky's responsibilities expanded to include COVID-19 sanitation. To disinfect high-touch areas, she carried a 2-gallon jug with disinfectant in her backpack. She was tired by the end of her shift and her shoulders were irritated from the friction. Rutkowsky stated that she wanted a simple job as a summer worker. In truth, I don't feel that I was earning the amount of money I wanted. The pay for what I did was not worth it. I don't hate the park; they are very careful. They did a great job, but it was at the expense of the workers. About a month later, she got a new job as substitute teacher. Substituting was better for her interests as she had studied teaching in college. She wouldn't have to be out in the sun all day. An anonymous former worker at an amusement park in Florida said that they enjoyed their job as turnstile operators for three years. They said that they were beaten by maskless guests after the park reopened June 2020. They believed that the park had exceeded its 50% capacity. (Disney, for example, reports no outbreaks of disease among workers and guests despite fears that the parks would become superspreading. The employee claimed that their hourly wage was increased to $10 per hour, which is a $1 increase. However, they moved to Target a few months back. They said that there were fewer people. The chasm between workers who could work from home and those who were employed in the service sector, such as line cooks, grocery clerks and employees at amusement parks, grew last summer when states reopened. These workers often earn low hourly wages and are not eligible for health insurance or time off. Many people have had to rethink their entitlements in the workplace after the national discussion about low-paid work (the hourly wage for amusement workers is approximately $14). According to Lindenberger, a former arcade worker, the reason for this labor shortage is that employees feel empowered to challenge unfavorable conditions. With the first wave of reopening, I saw that there weren't any precautions or health guidelines. [Workers] said, "Wait a second, this doesn't seem fair." He said, "You're telling me that I should go back to work but you aren't going make sure that people don't get me sick?" A second wave of businesses attempted to hire former employees with the national vaccine rollout without increasing their wages. He said that companies are clearly prioritizing their income over the lives and well-being of their employees, regardless of whether it is in a medical or financial context.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images: A worker tests the Medusa rollercoaster before it opens at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, April 2021.In the last year, another traditional avenue of employment has been closed. As a COVID-19 mitigation measure, Donald Trump signed an order prohibiting workers from the US from entering the country with a work visa. The ban was extended to March 31, 2021. J-1 visas were included in the ban, which allow migrants to work seasonal jobs in the US. Although President Joe Biden allowed the order to expire, the freeze had an impact. J-1 workers have been a key component of seasonal attractions and amusement parks over the past two decades. They are usually students from abroad who work in summer jobs in areas like leisure, retail, and hospitality. A 2019 report by the International Labor Recruitment Working Group states that 20,000 J-1 visa holders were employed to work in the US in summer 1996. This number jumped to more than 100,000 in 2018. Outsourcing talent can be a great solution for tourist destinations with small populations. Many of the American workers are part-time, Cory Hutchinson of Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco, Maine told BuzzFeed News. Because they work 40 hours per week, we rely on the J-1 visa-holding kids. They will be here for 4 doubles per week, every week. They will be there at 10 when the doors open, and at 9 when they leave. It has only hired 40 people so far this year. Hutchinson stated that he would normally begin to recruit J-1 workers in December or January, by going to job fairs in countries such as Turkey, Poland, Germany, and Poland. Students must interview at the US Embassy in their country after they have been offered a job. Hutchinson stated that interviews with J-1 employees are usually held in February or March. The US did not resume issuing J-1 visas to the US until April so potential hires could not secure interviews at embassy until then. This delayed the process by several months. Interview delays were also caused by increased demand and a backlog.I was looking for a summer job that would be easy.In April, hundreds of J-1 worker-hiring organizations wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting that interviews be waived for applicants. Eventually, some J-1 holders were granted waivers. The delays continued into the summer work season, possibly deterring some students workers from coming to America. Hutchinson stated that they want to work the full 12 weeks. They don't want to work seven weeks because of the remaining staffing gaps. Funtown Splashtown USA is only going to open five days per week this summer. To encourage employees to apply, the park raised the minimum hourly wage from $12.15 up to $14.50. According to Denise Beckson (parks vice president of human resource), staffing at Moreys Piers in New Jersey is difficult. But this year, she had to be creative. The company increased its hourly wage by $12 to $15, in order to get started. The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce promoted the listings and created a job board for students. Moreys Piers also collaborated with a local technical college, encouraging students to apply. A New York casting agency placed 70 actors, singers, and dancers on the boardwalk. Many employees of seasons will have dual roles. Beckson stated that someone might be the pizza stand cashier. There will also be performance and engagement. The Moreys Piers CFO will sell tickets and the lead carpenter will operate a concession stand grill.Roy Rochlin / Getty Images A morey's Piers & Beachfront Water Parks operator in Wildwood, New Jersey in September 2020. To find new workers, the park has partnered with a local casting agency and technical school.
