Amusement & Recreation Attendant Supervisor - Carnival

Work description

1. Business history and activities We are a family-owned and -operated mobile carnival since 1970. Our primary business is the operation of amusement rides and food concessions from early January through late October at multiple locations and at small to large events like county fairs, carnivals, and festivals in the western U.S. as listed in our itinerary. As a carnival, we are in the business of operating amusement rides for public use, along with maintaining them for public operation. During our operating season, we are mobile. Carnival workers serve our need to collect tickets and fees; erect, take down, attend and maintain the rides. 2. Explanation of temporary need Our need for Carnival Worker Supervisors is seasonal. 2.1. Tied to a season. Our need is tied to the seasons by particular events or patterns. The event season begins in January and runs through the end of October. The specific patterns that tie our business operations to various seasons are: Weather. Seasonally warming weather in our locale that allows our events to be held outdoors, followed by seasonally cooling weather that inhibits patronage. We are able to move our events north as the season continues to warm. Warm weather facilitates recreational activity and patronage. Calendar lock. The events in our itinerary have their own pattern because they are contractually immutable: If an event is canceled (e.g., national emergencies, power outages) or we are unable to perform, there are no do-overs. School. The seasonal closing, followed by re-opening, of schools. Vacations. The predominance of the public taking vacations based upon weather and school operation. Agricultural events. Fair season (the predominance of agriculturally-themed, planting and harvesting fairs, festivals, and events that are oriented toward the growing season). Special events. Established holidays, such as events based upon Spring Break, Halloween, or Christmas light shows. Preparatory and closing activities. Our season has a time to prepare (train, orient, and set up for the first event) and a time to close (to clean, dismantle, and prepare to move equipment to storage). This is analogous to a farmer seasonally preparing planting equipment and later winterizing it. 2.2. Recurring season. The seasonal patterns undergirding our business operations are recurring and predictable. The work offered is seasonal and the events are for specific periods of time only. Each of our events has its own mini-season. This seasonal cycle is just as recurring as another weather-dependent industry: farmers planting crops in the spring and harvesting in the fall. If anything, our season is even more predictable because it is tied to contractual commitments, not variable weather. The industry could not function if events were unpredictable. Our contracts and itinerary substantiate our seasonal need. Our route varies very little from year to year because in the industry, it is common to have multi-year contracts. The exact event dates may change slightly because they are anchored by a holiday, the day of the week, or the number of weekends in a month, not specific calendar dates. 2.3. Planned cessation of operations. As a complement to our predictable operations, we have specified when H-2B labor is not needed by designating our period of need. We have no contracts during the off-season. At the end of the season, we have no work for our workers because we do not have any contracts for events. This period of time is not considered a lay-off or vacation. 2.4. Documentary evidence of seasonal need. As documentary evidence of our temporary need, we have attached: 2.4.1. This statement of temporary need and reasoning. I have been in this business my entire life. Part of the basis for our request is our own business judgment and experience. We know our business and what is necessary to survive and prosper, and w