Day labor

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A series of articles on The U.S. Immigration Debate

Issues Illegal immigration Trafficking in human beings Labor shortage Terrorism U.S-Mexico Border NAFTA Visa caps

Proposed solutions DREAM Act Guest worker program H.R. 4437 (December 2005) S. 2611 (May 2006) Immigration reduction Free migration Legalization Jackson Lee (2005) McCain-Kennedy (2005) SKILL (2006) REAL ID (2005) Border Fence (2006)

Action 2006 protests

Organizations CCIR, NIF, FIRM, WAAA NCLR, LULAC FAIR, Minuteman Project, MCDC Cal. CIR, SOS CIS, NumbersUSA, ICE

Past laws Naturalization Act (1795) 14th Amendment (1868) Chinese Exclusion (1882) Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 Asian Exclusion (1924) Bracero Program (1942-64) INS Act (1965) IRCA (1986) IIRIRA (1996)

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Day labor is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work.

Day laborers find work through two common routes. First, some employment agencies specialize in very short-term contracts for manual labor most often in construction, factories, offices, and manufacturing. These companies usually have offices where workers can arrive and be assigned to a job on the spot, as they are available. An example of a corporation in this business, in North America and the United Kingdom, is Labor Ready, Inc. In the U.S., day laborers using this channel are typically legal residents or citizens who either need money quickly (such as alcoholics and substance abusers), or those who cannot find better employment (such as felons and the homeless).

Less formally, workers meet at well-known locations, usually public street corners or commercial parking lots, and wait for building contractors, landscapers, and other potential employers to offer work. Much of this work is in small residential construction or landscaping. [1] In the U.S., Day laborers using this channel are a diverse group of Latin Americans. The majority, due to the United States' open borders, are illegal aliens from Mexico and South America.^{[citation needed]} 1 in 3 corner day laborers have experienced theft of wages in the past two months while 1 in 5 experienced a serious worksite injury in the past year. [2]

A frequent trend has developed amongst municipalities and communities in supporting these workers' efforts to organize themselves into democratically run workers' centers, designated areas, and organizations to defend workers' rights in general. Workers' Centers of this kind date back at least 18 years to Los Angeles. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), a network of such organizations, and the Day Labor Research Institute have emerged as members of the immigrant workers' rights movement. Member organizations of NDLON have been responsible for collecting workers' wages that were not paid by employers, building coalitions to pass legislation that regulates temporary agencies, and countering the arrest of corner day laborers.

Day Laborers are becoming a source of trouble for towns where large numbers congregate near parks and residential areas. Towns, like Freehold, N.J., have tried to control the situation, but have run into opposition from the ACLU who defend the illegal aliens. Police departments cite problems with drugs, alcohol, and harassment of women. Day Laborers have become a huge nuisance to many communities.^{[citation needed]}