Thread: Lets send them South........Please

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From Today's Editions Of The News-press
Life perilous for local day laborers
By Pedro Morales
pmorales@news-press.com
Originally posted on May 30, 2006


Adithya Sambamurthy/news-press.com
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FACTS ABOUT DAY LABORERS
• On any given day, approximately 117,600 workers are either looking for day-labor jobs or working as day laborers

• Three quarters of day laborers are undocumented migrants

• 49 percent of day laborers have been completely denied payment by an employer for work they completed in the two months prior to being surveyed. 48 percent have been underpaid.

• 44 percent of day laborers were denied food and water breaks; 32 percent worked more hours than agreed to with the employer; 28 percent were insulted or threatened by the employer; 27 percent were abandoned at the work site by an employer.

• 37 percent reported having been required by law enforcement officials to leave a hiring site. 11 percent reported having been arrested when searching for work.

• 79 percent of day laborers are hired in informal sites, including standing in front of businesses, home improvement stores and gas stations.

• 49 percent of day laborers are hired by homeowners/renters.

• 43 percent of day laborers are hired by construction contractors.

• The median hourly wage for day laborers is $10.

• Median earnings during good months are $1,400, while in slow periods median monthly earnings fall to $500.

• 52 percent of day laborers attend church regularly.

• 59 percent of day laborers are Mexican. 28 percent are Central American. 7 percent were born in the United States.

• 63 percent have children.


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He stands outside the gas station for three hours watching the morning rush hour and wishing that he, too, could have a car and the security of a full-time job.

A truck with empty seats stops nearby. Jesus Claros jerks his head to the left; it's not a job, not this time.

"You're always looking, always hoping that there will be work," says Claros, 27, a day laborer from Honduras. "When there is work, you work hard so that they'll come back tomorrow."

Finding work is always wearisome for Claros, who like most day laborers depends on resilience and some luck to earn a living.

He is one of between 40 to 70 day laborers who linger at the corner of East Terry Street and Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs every day, from 6 to about 9:30 a.m., waiting to be hired.

There are pickup sites all over Southwest Florida, from Immokalee to LaBelle to east Fort Myers.

Nobody is sure how many people work as day laborers locally, says Jim Wall, a manager at the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board, a partnership among businesses in the five-county area. There are as many as five companies that hire day laborers and many more workers seek work on the streets.

Their numbers fluctuate and many are undocumented immigrants. But their role is extremely critical.

The target of growing criticism from the public and public officials, they are watched closely by police and they watch closely for "la migra," immigration enforcement, which conducts periodic sweeps.

They do the jobs most people don't want, the ones that come without fancy titles or an expense account. They're building roads and constructing homes for thousands of newcomers, withstanding heat and grime. They plant flowers and trees to spruce up gated communities and clean rooms of visiting tourists.

"You don't have to look very far to see that there is a large Hispanic labor force that are doing a lot of work, manual work such as landscaping and construction," Wall says.

The laborers are usually young men who can earn between $40 to $100 a day, depending on the work skill and contractor's generosity. Their weekly wages depend on how many times they are picked up. They put themselves at risk every time they get into a stranger's car. They lean on their faith when the cars aren't stopping.

"Somebody has to do these jobs; it's not going to be the Americans," says Felipe Cruz, a 21-year-old day laborer from Mexico. "We need money."

Nowhere else to go

Most day laborers are undocumented immigrants from Latin America, mostly Mexico. They came to the country hoping to land a steady job that would give them enough money to send home and perhaps one day go back. Some had that job and lost it. Others work as day laborers as a way to get to know people who can help find a stable job.

Nationwide, the majority of day laborers are picked up at illegal street sites. In Southwest Florida, the majority work through organized day laborer companies, such as Able Body.

"I think it's more the temporary agencies simply because we're not as big of a metropolitan area yet," Wall says. "At this point, we haven't seen the influx of undocumented workers as other areas have."

They choose labor companies because they can work more than 40 hours a week. It pays less than the streets, but is consistent and a little safer. They are given tools, in some cases temporary insurance, and can earn anywhere between $40 to $60 a day.

"There are too many people waiting on the corner and they don't find work," says Jose Matias, 56, a Guatemalan day laborer from Fort Myers.

Those on the streets say the labor companies take too much of their wages, so they prefer to negotiate their own price.

Few expected to survive as a day laborer. They believed that jobs would be plentiful in this wealthy land but have learned that without legal immigration papers or a car, the opportunities are scarce.

If they only had a vehicle, many say, they would look for a job in a neighboring city. As it is, they can only walk or bike to the nearest day-labor crowd. The few that do have a car don't have a license and drive only when they have to.

Dealing with it

"I learn two English words a day," says Francisco Romero, 30, a day laborer from Mexico. He pulls out a piece of paper from his wallet with English words scribbled on it. Wall. Dolly. Mattress. Sofa. Cheap.

He has lived in Bonita Springs two years and has an advantage. He knows English, at least enough to negotiate with the contractors.

They usually come in trucks. Some are with small, private companies looking for cheap labor; others are everyday people of all ages and races who need a little help in the yard.

It's illegal for people to pick up undocumented workers. Anyone found guilty of hiring an illegal immigrant faces a $10,000 fine per person and could face criminal prosecution, says Barbara Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

She acknowledged that Border Patrol prioritizes its duties. Public safety threats and national security risks are No. 1. The retiree in the white van taking three workers to his unfinished patio? That's important, too, but Gonzalez could not say how often the government cracks down on that violator.

The dealing happens so quickly that those not paying attention miss it.

"I need two, just two, dos," a contractor will say through the open window, never leaving the vehicle.

In a matter of seconds a crowd of workers approaches the window and the contractor tells them what he needs and how much he'll pay. Some won't leave for less than $8 or $9 an hour.

The hungry ones will go for less.

Unwritten rules

They have a responsibility to look out for each other. The streets are unpredictable enough without wondering whether a contractor will scam them out of the cash they earned.

"If we know that this guy didn't pay, we'll yell to everyone, 'Hey, he doesn't pay, don't go with him,'" Romero says. "They stop coming."

Everyone has a story.

One day after work, a contractor threw money on the ground and told a group of day laborers to pick it up if they needed it that bad. They did. Some are dropped off at a work site and never see the contractor again.

"You're risking yourself out here," Claros says. "Last week someone didn't pay me what he promised after I finished the work."

He didn't do anything about it. He can't. The laws don't protect him.

The law sometimes comes after them.

Bonita Springs city leaders have asked the Lee County Sheriff's Office to increase its patrols on the corners where day laborers meet. They said the workers, who also stand near Able Body Labor on Bonita Beach Road and Old 41 Road, are getting drunk, littering, loitering and bothering students who walk to school.

Deputies in the past several months have increasingly driven by these areas and told the workers to leave. Though it keeps a few dozen from appearing on the street one or two days a week, they always come back.

Most know that they should keep their area clean. They stay away from the customers pumping gas or going in to buy coffee. They admit that a few workers get out of hand occasionally. They show up drunk or high on drugs and create a ruckus.

"We're here to work, not to start problems," says Carlos Hernandez, 23. "It's not fair that one or two people make all of us look bad."

The strong survive

If there is a pecking order at the Bonita gas station, Romero is at the top. Standing at no more than 5-foot-3, weighing about 130 pounds, he radiates energy. When the seemingly endless wait drags workers down, he livens the scene by announcing that today is a good day to work.

He says he is a former thief and drug addict. He hides the tattoos on his arms with long-sleeved sweaters. He's fast, usually the first to reach a contractor, because he has a wife and two children in Mexico to support.

Contractors usually pick him up, leaving behind taller, wider and older men.

In his day, 54-year-old Guadalupe Gonzalez was rarely overlooked. That was before the car crash that maimed his ankle. He insists he can still work, he still gets picked up, but he can often be seen at Café of Life, Bonita's only soup kitchen.

That's where the unlucky day laborers go. They get a free lunch and a sandwich for later. There are no sob stories here, though. They stay positive and promise to return the next day.

"When I wake up in the morning, God will decide whether I'll work today," says Tomas Barcenas, 50, a day laborer from Mexico. "You look for comfort through God. It's sad being here, alone.

"It's easier to wake up when you have faith."

Excuse me I have to go get a tissue...

Why don't we get them back home where they belong?

Iz no my problem...go tell it to Fox!

Yea ...Yea.. Yea... And I bet they all pay taxes on that money too!

Oh my, this is terrible.

In truth, I feel sorry for them, but............when you put yourself into the position to be a victim, a victim you will become. When you enter into our country illegally, then you have automatically set yourself up to become preyed upon.

Our government needs to go after employers even if they hire day labor only. When we have made it impossible for those cheap jerks to hire illegals and take advantage of these people, then we root out the illegals that are holding out, then we will have done what is right by these people.

They seem to live in perepetual victimhood, and by not following the laws, they have made their lives that much harder than even before they came here illegally.

or as Hilleary would say "horrific!"

I agree with Americanelizabeth, in that I feel sorry for some them also. We had a war to end slavery in this country and I think that every person that hires an illegal to save themselves a "bunch" of money should be put in jail. I am personally offended by the actions of the employers of illegals in this country.
I also know that not every one of the illegal aliens is a nice person just looking for work. There are tens of thousands of MS13 gang members in this country, undocumented sex offends, child molesters and various other felons in this group. Sorry, but if you can't sort them out, they all need to go.

Amen New!!!

I live right in the middle of a bunch of them. So far I have yet to meet any that I would trust in any way shape or form.

I see crackhead prostitutes coming out of one of the apartments here at least once a week, and in one place, they have a big screen TV and have their curtains wide open while watching hardcore porn.

To me it is a sick way of living, and you cannot tell me they are saintly poor migrants who just want better lives for their families!!