Thread: Rosenberg Council Moves Toward Creation Of Day Labor Center

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Rosenberg Council Moves Toward Creation Of Day Labor Center
by Bob Dunn, Jun 21, 2006, 06 33 am


A Rosenberg day labor work center came closer to reality Tuesday night, as the City Council accepted recommendations of the city’s Day Labor Task Force. Councilors named Police Chief Robert Gracia as a liaison for the city as plans for such a center unfold.

No city money has been budgeted for a day labor center, but the Catholic Church has decided to provide a $60,000 grant over three years, and Gracia indicated other church groups may also provide contributions.

The 12-member task force has studied Rosenberg’s day labor issues and worked for 14 months to reach consensus on four key recommendations, Gracia told councilors:

7rarr; “The City of Rosenberg should actively support the efforts of the state and federal government to create the programs or law changes needed for day laborers to work in the United States legally.

→ “The City of Rosenberg should support a day labor work center, available to all workers regardless of their ethnic background or immigration status, where workers and employers will be encouraged to go to conduct their employment transactions.

→ “The City of Rosenberg should vigorously enforce existing local ordinances and state laws to encourage both employers and day laborers to continually use the day labor work center. This includes laws such as impeding traffic, loitering, trespassing, and public urination.”

→ “The task force strongly recommends that before a day labor work center is created, a feasibility study be completed and the center by operated as a pilot project for at least one year, and then evaluated before a more permanent program is created.”

Deacon Sam Dunning, director of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s Office of Justice and Peace, said the church’s primary objective is to hire an organizer who could help in the implementation of the city task force’s recommendations leading up to building a center.

Day labor centers in other cities provide a central location where workers seeking temporary jobs can meet with prospective employers. An alternative to gathering in front of businesses or on street corners, day labor centers provide bathrooms and, sometimes, social services.

As recent debate in Congress has focused attention on immigration issues, day labor centers have been seen by some as controversial. In Houston, Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs told city officials last month she believes using federal funding for Houston’s day labor center encourages illegal immigration. (Houston’s center is funded in part by a federal Community Development Block Grant.)

Councilor Joe Segura told Gracia he wants to make sure the city isn’t “breaking any rules or any laws” by proceeding with the center.

“This is a very complex issue,” Gracia replied. The question is, how can a city or police agency go about “identifying who is legal and who is not legal without violating the Constitution” or state law against racial profiling.

“Nothing in what we are doing involves this city in federal immigration law,” Councilor Carl Hopkins said. “Our purpose is to say, if you’re in the city limits of Rosenberg, you’re entitled to be treated fairly. You’re entitled to be treated humanely. Nothing should be construed to involve this city in immigration status.”

While task force recommendations weren’t more specific, a resolution adopted by the City Council in February 2005 said the task force would focus on issues of concern such as “the need to provide day laborers with social and educations services, trade skills development and training, workers rights and citizenship education,” among other things.

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Day laborer program gets more support

By B.J. Pollock Wednesday, June 21, 2006 12:30 PM CDT


Police Chief Robert Gracia presented to Rosenberg City Council Tuesday four key recommendations by the city's Day Laborer Task Force, and was appointed by council as a liaison to continue working on the issue.

Deacon Sam Dunning of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston addressed council after Gracia announced the organization has agreed to donate Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Rosenberg $20,000 annually for the next three years, to be used to continue to study the matter.

The Rev. Lee Flores of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also at Tuesday's meeting, where Dunning thanked council for the city's work addressing the day laborer issue.

"Work itself must have dignity," he told council while adding that the archdiocese and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, of which he is also a representative, supports educational efforts regarding the day laborer topic.

"This is a very severe and very serious problem here in Rosenberg," Dunning said.

He said the $60,000 will be used for a feasibility study that will be facilitated by a board to be appointed by Our Lady of Guadalupe and by Gracia as volunteer liaison.


Dunning said day laborers have many needs, and must also recognize their responsibilities. He also said the board will help promote documentation among day laborers and move them toward citizenship and legal status if they so desire.

It will also promote the creation of a day laborer facility, a subject first officially broached to council last August by Mexican Consul General Carlos Gonzales at a luncheon meeting of the Rosenberg Day Laborers Task Force and council.

At that time, Gonzales said his contingent proposed to assist the city with issues "of common interest" regarding the day laborer issues. He also said a day laborer center in Conroe provides day laborers with social and education services, trade skills, development and training.

Dunning said Tuesday organizing a board before such a center is developed in Rosenberg reduces the social anxieties of day laborers, increases their self-respect and promotes goodwill between them and the community's businesses.

Gracia said the task force has been "working diligently to reach a final recommendation" for the past 14 months, and "numerous testimonies were heard" before arriving at its final conclusions, which includes the creation of a day laborer center.

Gracia said the task force recommends the facility be made available to all workers, "regardless of their ethnic background or immigration status, where workers and employers will be encouraged to go to conduct their employment transductions."

Other recommendations are that the city of Rosenberg should "actively support the efforts of the state and federal government to create the programs or law changes needed for day laborers to work in the U.S. legally," and that the city "vigorously enforce existing local ordinances and state laws to encourage both employers and day laborers to continually use the day labor work center. This includes such laws as impeding traffic, loitering, trespassing and public urination."

The final recommendation is that "before a day labor work center is created, a feasibility study be completed and the center be operated as a pilot project for at least one year, and then evaluated before a more permanent program is created."

Gracia thanked the task force committee members for their work, and said he is "honored" to serve as liaison, as suggested by Mayor Joe Gurecky and unanimously approved by council.