Thread: Work scarce for day laborers

http://www.contracostatimes.com

Posted on Thu, Aug. 03, 2006

Work scarce for day laborers
Hot temperatures, hot issue of immigration and cooler economy may be behind stifled market
By Kellie Applen
STAFF WRITER

CONCORD - Juan Huerta leaves his wife and seven children in Mexico for the summers to work in Concord. The 57-year-old farmworker struggles to find work in Jalisco, his home state, because summer is the rainy season, he said.

Through the Monument Futures day labor program in Concord, he made $3,500 last summer. He returned to Concord this May ready to work again, but so far, there haven't been as many opportunities, he said.

"This year is very difficult. This week, I haven't worked at all," said Huerta last Thursday. "Last summer we had more jobs."

The slowdown started in May, said George Vallejo, manager of the day labor program. The center experienced its worst day of the summer July 24, when employers hired just 13 of its workers. On a good day, about 40 of the 80 day laborers who come to the center every day are sent out to work, he said.

The decline in work began around the same time as the one-day boycotts around the nation, Vallejo said. He and some of the day laborers, including Huerta, feel the protests may have created some resentment and have something to do with employers not hiring as many workers.

The unusually hot weather may also be a factor, Vallejo said.

"(Employers) are afraid something could happen to the workers," he said.

Day laborers in Concord aren't the only ones having a harder time finding work this summer. It's happening around the United States, said Abel Valenzuela, an associate professor of Chicano studies at UCLA who co-wrote a nationwide study on day laborers.

The slowdown is likely a combination of reasons, one of which could be contention surrounding the issue of immigration, he said.

"When people talk about the problems with undocumented immigration, they often paint a picture of a day laborer. But they are a really small component of the undocumented immigrants in this country," Valenzuela said.

In a recent survey of day laborers in Santa Monica, the laborers cited a "more chilled atmosphere with regards to immigration," Valenzuela said. Images of Minute Men protesting at day labor sites also turn off potential employers, he said.

"It scares people ... they don't want (to) hassle with protesters," Valenzuela said. "They don't want to solicit employment even though it's completely legitimate and legal to hire day laborers."

Day laborers could also be getting less work because some local economies have slowed, he said.

Concord-based Welcome Building Maintenance, which offers pressure washing, maintenance and day portering services to commercial buildings, is not hiring as many day laborers this summer because there isn't as much work, said Pam Hurley, operations manager.

"It's definitely slow," Hurley said. "I think possibly money is tight. ... A lot of commercial buildings don't want to put out the extra money for work that could be done."

That's trickling down to day laborers like Huerta, who is feeling the pinch. Although he pays just $100 in rent and can eat for about a $150 a month, he needs to send his wife $800 a month to pay their bills at home, he said.

But it's still early in the summer season and there's a good chance things will improve, Valenzuela said.

Vallejo is optimistic, too. Things have already picked up some this week at Monument Futures, most likely because the weather cooled down, he said.


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Kellie Applen covers Concord and Clayton. She can be reached at 925-682-6440, Ext. 26, or kapplen@cctimes.com.

He and some of the day laborers, including Huerta, feel the protests may have created some resentment and have something to do with employers not hiring as many workers.

Yep. I say let em protest!!!

The decline in work began around the same time as the one-day boycotts around the nation, Vallejo said. He and some of the day laborers, including Huerta, feel the protests may have created some resentment and have something to do with employers not hiring as many workers.

Well Vallejo, you're right. Thanks to those one day protests, many Americans are now upset and are wanting to do more to stop illegal immigrants from continuing to break our laws, and reap free benefits at the taxpayers expense.

So by all means, keep protesting, if the pattern continues, it will only anger more and more Americans into taking action like never before.

"It scares people ... they don't want (to) hassle with protesters," Valenzuela said. "They don't want to solicit employment even though it's completely legitimate and legal to hire day laborers."

It is not legitimate and legal to hire illegal immigrants!

Yeah, those protests in the street did you alot of good didn't they

$100 for renting a matress in an illegal flop house.

I am glad these illegals were on TV waving their flags and screaming "The Race" hopefully more Americans get p.o.-ed like all of us and take notice.