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The Gazette As the region’s growing economy has increased the demand for day labor, local governments have found themselves faced with the question of how to handle large groups of people gathered in public places every morning waiting for work. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments held its first summit on day laborers on Thursday, bringing together community and government leaders from Maryland, Washington and Virginia. All are faced with growing communities of day laborers, many of whom are vulnerable to abuses, such as nonpayment by employers. ‘‘This is the first of a continuation of dialogues on this issue that we intend to have,” said J. Walter Tejada, member of the Arlington County (Va.) Board and chairman of COG Human Services Policy Committee. The consensus among the summit’s participants was that organized centers, such as the ones run by Casa of Maryland in Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Wheaton, are a good way to get the workers, primarily Hispanic men, off street corners and to help assure they are paid. More than half of day laborers in the region have worked for employers who did not pay. Casa’s legal team has more than 350 cases of nonpayment in court, said Gustavo Torres, Casa’s executive director. Opponents of such centers argue that taxpayer money — the primary source of funding — should not be used to support centers that help undocumented immigrants find work. The day labor pool contains both legal and illegal immigrants. Municipal government leaders said they are frustrated that immigration policy, something they cannot change, is repeatedly brought into the discussion of things they can change, such as creating a center for day laborers. ‘‘This is not about federal immigration policy,” said Takoma Park Mayor Kathy Porter, but an issue of local property and economics. There are about 21 day labor sites in the region, most of which are informal gathering places such as convenience store parking lots and street corners. The metro area is expected to gain nearly 1.4 million jobs in the next 25 years, said Paul DesJardin, COG chief of housing and planning, so the attraction for day laborers is expected to grow. The workers want jobs, the employers want workers, the businesses do not appreciate their properties being used as gathering places and residents are concerned about large groups of people loitering in their neighborhoods. There are no bad guys in this situation, just conflicting interests, Porter said. Takoma Park, with Casa’s support, opened a center about three and a half years ago after a property owner at New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard threatened to sue the city if it did not do something about the workers gathering there every day. COG could help by providing local governments with information from communities that have already gone through the process of creating a day labor center, Porter said, as well as helping to educate the public about day laborers. Some participants at the summit were interested in another approach to the day labor issue — one that involves opportunities for full-time steady work for the laborers. Day laborers do not receive benefits or job security and they have no one representing them, said Randy Eppard, director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters-Joint School of Carpentry. ‘‘Without our organization and representation, we would probably be day laborers,” Eppard said. The average apprentice in the carpentry school makes about $40,000 per year, he said, and no prior experience or English-language skills are required. ‘‘We need more workers.” The majority of day laborers in the Washington region are hired by private companies and contractors for construction work, according to a study by the University of California in Los Angeles, which differs from other metro areas where most laborers are hired by individuals. Copyright © 2005 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement |
