In an article that appeared last Sunday, N.Y. Times reporter, Steven Greenhouse reported the results of the first national study on day laborers. The study established that day laborers and day labor centers are not only local or regional in scope, but a national phenomenon with 117,600 day laborers gathering at over 500 centers.The study also reported on an aspect of the immigration and day labor issue which is often overlooked, i.e., wage violations and hazardous working conditions. 49% of workers interviewed complained that during the previous two months an employer had not paid them for one or two days of work. 73% of the workers were forced to work in dangerous working conditions. On a daily basis, in Mesa and throughout the State of Arizona, everyone from major contractors to housewives stop and pick up day laborers who line such intersections as Broadway and Gilbert Rd. It is not unreasonable to suggest that these laborers are also being subjected to the above described abuses. Yet, neither the state legislature nor thr Mesa City Council, as a whole, have expressed concern regarding the pernicious conduct of employers which violate state and federal wage and safety laws. The laborers do not report such violations for fear of being fired or denied their wages.In light of the inaction of governmental authorities, the establishment of a privately operated day labor center, where both the employers and the laborers register, would provide the best protection against such abuses
Archive for January 25th, 2006Regardless of one’s position regarding immigration and day labor centers, I believe all would agree that no employee should be denied fair wages for work performed or be exposed to hazardous working conditions.January 25th, 2006, 3:38 pm by philaustinNews From Our Adopted TownJanuary 25th, 2006, 1:11 pm by lindapaulAs you may know, the City of Mesa, Mesa Public Schools, Mesa United Way and other civic organizations banded together after Hurricane Katrina to adopt a city in the Gulf region. The town of Gautier, Mississippi was chosen on the recommendation of Mesa firefighters who volunteered there shortly after the hurricane struck. With waves as high as 30 feet rushing as far as two miles inland, flood damage in Gautier was extensive. While life is far from normal five months after Katrina, there are signs of recovery in Gautier. The Gulf Coast Orchid Society’s 26th annual show and sale will open in the town’s Singing River Mall this weekend. Organizers expect a smaller crowd than usual, but they’re counting on brisk sales as residents replace their beloved plants lost in the storm.Another, admittedly bleaker sign of recovery are dozens of lawsuits being brought by residents against their insurance companies. Many of these residents claim to have been led to believe that they were covered in the event of storms. When it came time to pay up, however, the companies argued that their coverage included wind storms and not floods. I’ll be a while before that legal mess can be sorted out.Speaking of messes, much of the temporary blue roof sheeting provided to Gautier residents by the Federal Emergency Management Agency has proven to be defective. Provided under FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof, the material was supposed to shelter area homes until residents could permanently replace their roofs. In reality, much of the material began shredding within two weeks of installation. On a brighter note, volunteers from as far away as Cincinnati have converged on Gautier to help clean out and rebuild homes. Some of these volunteers have bunked up in Towing, More Towing, and Sheriff JoeJanuary 25th, 2006, 1:58 am by SharonWhat a mind boggling bait and switch game! Sending Sheriff Joe in to "Raid" Cactus Towing like only a Sheriff and his Posse can do; setting up allegations of wrong doing, bids coming and going, words flying, lawsuits, attorneys to mix it up, let me see if I get this….Cactus Towing has apparently serviced Mesa and several other cities for a few years without complaint or disruption of service. Suddenly, there’s a "raid" and somebody has someone looking pretty guilty. Now what was that over and why so timely? (Tribune 1/21)The City of Mesa and it’s attorney offers the video, recording and documents of the Council Meeting in question, where possibly words were flying. Cactus Towing was denied a first bid, another bid progresses and is awarded. The end result? The City awards Cactus Towing half of the towing contract, and also awards Daryl’s Towing and another towing company one-quarter each of the remaining half of that contract. So, why is this not okay? I can see why Cactus feels a loss of business, on the other hand, everybody walks away with some of the business. Who is angry about getting something when they could have had nothing? I don’t know these details, but unless something has changed in the policy of awarding bids when I was a part of the process; the lowest bidder does not automatically get the bid. There are other considerations, criteria, service, and steps one must follow. But what do I know, I don’t see a problem here…..I’d probably just be grateful I was bringing in some business. |
the Winnebago Chieftan which was donated to the town by Tempe resident Bud Schall and driven there by Mary Hutchinson (right) and Margie Frost (center) of MesaCAN and Darlene Duncan (left) of Mesa United Way. While in Gautier last November, the trio brought a check for the funds collected to date. We recently learned that the money was used to purchase refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers for 143 households under Whirlpool Corporation’s hurricane relief program.One of the town’s biggest needs is for sheetrock and nails. When the local Lowes receives a shipment, they sell it on a first-come-first-served basis, and customers must haul it themselves. This has proven to be very difficult for Gautier volunteers, who cannot provide the necessary transportation. If you know of anyone who can purchase and haul sheetrock for the people of Gautier, please let Darlene Duncan at Mesa United Way know.