Day laborers rally for recognition

In front of City Hall on Tuesday, Araceli Salinas reminded the Mayor and Council about day laborers like her: “We are not invisible, we are essential!”

Joining Salinas in the chant — “No somos invisibles, somos esenciales!” and “Sí, se puede!” — dozens of workers clad in yellow and red T-shirts rallied in support of the Day Laborer Worker Coalition, a group of organizations that support day labor centers across the five boroughs.

Council Member Sandy Nurse, speaking at the rally, said the new Council would be more receptive to the DLWC’s needs given that many of its recently elected members come from immigrant backgrounds.

But on Sunday, the mayor’s administration released budget numbers that stipulated the Day Laborer Worker Initiative would receive the same funding as last year: $3.97 million, significantly less than the $5.4 million they asked for.

“We could do more,” Nurse said at the rally. “I believe this Council will do more with time.”

‘Not enough’

For the DLWC, the $3.97 million was simply “not enough,” said Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Workers Justice Project. “We're grateful that the city and this new Council recognize the value of the Day Laborer Workforce Initiative in the recovery, but we're here to say it's still not enough,” she added, using the name of the coalition as it’s listed in the budget. 

The 2016-17 fiscal year budget appropriated $500,000 for the DLWI. Since then, the day labor centers have expanded their reach and have been responsible for some of the cleanup of hurricanes Ida and Sandy, as well as for much of cleanup during the pandemic.

Veronica Piedra, a coordinator with the DLWC, said day labor centers have helped nearly 75,000 New Yorkers earn better wages, find employment, and advance their education on safety protocols and certifications in various industries over the last two years.

“We provide services to any New Yorker, in the city of New York,” Piedra said in a phone interview. “Regardless of who, where they come from, regardless of which type of legal status they have or affiliation, or how they identify, we provide services to New Yorkers.”

Respect and dignity 

Many day laborers work in construction and landscape, but they can also work as painters, commercial cleaners, janitors and domestic help. And, because day laborers typically work for “just-in-time” employment, they can be subjected to a host of labor violations by their employers, noted Piedra.

“I think the role of the day laborer has somewhat been underplayed by many, many, many folks in the administration,” Piedra said. “And unfortunately, sometimes we don't get the opportunity to be at the table.”

At the rally, Gabina Santamaria, a worker affiliated with La Colmena’s day labor center in Staten Island, said the city could not function without day laborers. “If one day we decide to stop working, there isn’t going to be any fruit or vegetables; you’re not going to have any meat at your table,” she said in Spanish.

Antelmo Ventura from the Workers Justice Project, said the day laborer center helped him find fair wages, complete OSHA training and find a job where his employer treated him with dignity and respected his rights.

For Piedra, the DLWC coordinator, garnering Council support is about recognizing workers like Ventura. “That is the true recognition,” she said. “And if we can get that recognition from a worker, we just hope that the Council and the mayor's administration value just as much our contribution to the city of New York.”

‘We are essential’

Last week, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network released “New York’s Day Laborers: Building an Inclusive Economy,” a report about the culmination of DLWI’s work from the last five years. It noted that during the pandemic, day labor centers helped more than 90,000 workers find employment and financial assistance. At the same time, organizations in the DLWI provided 164 safety trainings to more than 7,000 workers who needed to complete the Department of Buildings-required safety training.

Day labor centers from the DLWI also assisted workers with fighting for wages by hosting 104 wage-theft clinics. Ultimately, the report asks for government agencies to partner with the DLWI.

Diana Moreno, the interim executive director of the Jackson Heights-based community organization, New Immigrant Community Empowerment, told rally attendees of the contribution that day labor centers make to the city.

“We are essential workers in the city of New York,” she said. “And we will continue to fight until we are treated as essential, until we are protected.”