Thread: OR: Many day laborers still gathering on street despite city

Many day laborers still gathering on street despite city's hiring site



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Story Published: Jul 27, 2008 at 12:35 AM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 27, 2008 at 12:35 AM PDT
By Susan Harding and KATU Web Staff
Video

PORTLAND, Ore. – More than a month after the city opened its day labor site, some workers say they’d rather continue using a street corner to find work.

The city spent $200,000 to get the labor site open on the corner of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Everett Street and spent more than a year planning it. Yet its goal to get workers off the sidewalks and into jobs is running into some stiff competition on the street.

On Saturday, employers trickled in to the day labor site – but not enough for all those seeking work.

But on a corner up the street, more than a dozen workers waited for jobs, and a dozen others waited for work on a sidewalk on Southeast 6th.

They might make less than the $10 an hour minimum required at the city’s hiring site, but they don’t have to mess around with the center’s lottery system, which has drawn many complaints. Workers must wait for staff to pull their ticket in order to get a job rather than just running to a car for a quick hire.

One worker who only gave her first name, Maria, said she preferred the street corner because it was faster to find a job.

"We don't have to give out no information, no names, no address, nothin'," she said. "They just come, pick up some people and take us off to work."

The coordinators of the city’s hiring site want to change that mindset but say it will take time. Workers have been showing up to those two popular street corners for 14 years while the city’s day laborer site is new, they say.

"We're getting work," said Francisco Aguirre, one of three paid staff members with the nonprofit the city contracted to run the site. "We need more employers, yes, that's true, but this place is working!"


http://www.katu.com/news/25948844.html

...Francisco Aguirre, one of three paid staff members with the nonprofit the city contracted to run the site. "We need more employers, yes, that's true, but this place is working!"

Oh really? For whom???

I think the 200k the City dumped into this idea could have been better spent providing basic assistance for the many city residents (citizens) that have jobs undercut by illegal workers and are struggling to survive ...Just my humble opinion.

When I observe a small construction project with illegals working I can ususally asume that: they have no license, they have no comp insurance, they pay no taxes, etc.
I call the state Builders Board.

So, you mean the illegals STILL have no respect for authority or the law?

Who'd have figured

A complete waste of tax payer money! We should be deporting these people, not spending tax dollars to build them job centers that serve as a uniter between those who are illegally working and those who are illegally hiring them.

They have a job center in my city as well. But guess what...the illegal invaders still stand in front of Home Depot (usually 20 or so at a time) every day, which is less than a mile away from the designated job center.

Again, these illegals could careless. They do what they want, when they want...

Originally Posted by Captainron

When I observe a small construction project with illegals working I can ususally asume that: they have no license, they have no comp insurance, they pay no taxes, etc.
I call the state Builders Board.

Yep, sounds great.

Don't know if you managed to catch a semi-related story about unlicensed/unscrupulous contractors, but also on KATU's site they had a video (of an earlier news report) by Thom Jensen about a guy working in the Portland area (a 'Sione Moala'? - I never did see a spelling of the guy's name) who was doing jobs (albeit, shoddy ones) around town. The story focused on one woman who was scammed as a result of his work. Oh, the main point is: he is unlicensed and has been fined a bunch by the state contracting board in the past. He owes 57k or so in outstanding fines and YET still goes around doing work for people.

I tried to find a link there but it seems to have been replaced for the time being.

So, you mean the illegals STILL have no respect for authority or the law?

Even when you provide an alternative, it's never good enough. Oh gee...they want information and such...

[/quote]"We don't have to give out no information, no names, no address, nothin'," she said. "They just come, pick up some people and take us off to work."
[quote]

There just seems to be be a real issue with following any rules. They just want to do what they want to do.

One worker who only gave her first name, Maria, said she preferred the street corner because it was faster to find a job.

"We don't have to give out no information, no names, no address, nothin'," she said. "They just come, pick up some people and take us off to work."

I cannot believe we allow this garbage to continue in this country. These people have absolutely ZERO respect for this country, it's laws, or it's citizens!

What is this woman really selling?

Let's see. Taxpayer dollars have been used to build this center that no one uses. Isn't that aiding, abetting and harboring illegals?

We don't have to give out no information, no names, no address, nothin'," she said. "They just come, pick up some people and take us off to work

Oh, this is safe -- allowing someone with who we know nothing about to access residences and worksites etc.