The comments by Phil Austin on his blog topic, I absolutely agree with as a valid, legitament concern regarding unfair practices when hiring day laborers. Who is the real violator when area contractors, citizens, or local business’ hire day laborers for hard work, long hours, possibly no breaks during a four hour period as required by law, and then don’t pay them them at a fair wage, or not at all? Outrageous!One Mesa merchant in the Gilbert Broadway area handled this by posting no trespassing signs on his property. Mesa Police as local law enforcement do not have the authority to ticket day laborers, however, they can and have cited contractors and possibly others, who ignored the no trespassing signs and picked up day laborers for work. As a member of the Human Relations Advisory Board and a member of the Regional Human Relations Board, we hosted a panel and discussion in Chandler regarding the day laborers issues. Experts were brought in with good information along with facts and figures, etc. However, there were two important items I recall that came from testimonies from the panel.The first was a Phoenix Police Officer that reported that residents in one neighborhood filed complaints because day laborers congregated in their area. Their perception being that the crime rate would go up, making it an unsafe place to live. A study was done by the police department and found the crime rate actually decreased by a significant number.The second testimony was from an older day laborer gentleman, legally here, who helped staff the Day Labor Center in Phoenix on Bell Road. (I believe the center was privately funded ) He was very happy for this opportunity as it insured day laborer receive a fair wage and if they had skills in a field like a carpenter, they would be paid more. The gentleman also was glad to be part of the organizational part because, as he put it, "the younger ones can run faster than me".There must be a way to create a fair, organized, legal system that will help everybody. A Hispanic business owner here in Mesa, who was to be part of the panel, later had neighborhood meetings around Gilbert Road and Broadway. Many attended, including myself, and other interested people with a desire to hear his plight and help resolve his situation. As a business owner that experienced a disruption in his business, he was successful in putting up "Do not Loiter" signs. Contractors were ticketed for stopping on the property to pick up day laborers. It helped for the area but the problem remained in locating a place that would be effective and take care of the needs of everyone.Perhaps there is someone out there that could fund a worthwhile project like this, worked out through governmental entities, and help everyone in the long run.
Day Labor Workers Create A Safer NeighborhoodJanuary 26th, 2006, 3:39 pm · Post a Comment · posted by SharonLeave a Reply |
