A group of day laborers in San Diego is planning to open a workers’ center in Barrio Logan. The San Diego Worker’s Center (Centro Trabajadores de San Diego) will serve as a hiring hall and meeting place for day laborers and household workers.

Currently, there are no formal democratically operated day labor centers in the city of San Diego, though there are several in Los Angeles and other California municipalities.

The worker center idea crystallized when San Diego workers attended the national assembly of the National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON) at the University of California, Los Angles on August 24-28.

Representatives from 46 day labor centers, both men and women, converged at UCLA’s Carnesale Commons under the slogan, “Our Struggle, Our Voice: Nothing About Us, Without Us.” They plotted their strategy for the next two years to strengthen their organizations and to struggle for labor and immigrant rights.

Nelson Gamio of Chula Vista says he felt encouraged by the gathering and believes the time has arrived to start a center in San Diego. He and his colleagues plan to open it on Nov.1 at a location near 26th and Imperial in Barrio Logan.

Gamio said that the project comes at a crucial time when President Obama will be making some key decisions about the fate of some five million undocumented immigrants. “Day Laborers badly need work,” he said. “But they also need assistance and information regarding their immigration status, matters of health and safety, and how they might qualify once these new immigration measures are passed into law. Right now they have very little support. They need orientation and organization.”

For the past three years, the San Diego Day Laborers and Household Workers have held workshops on worker health and safety issues in North County, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

These workshops deal with such topics as construction, gardening and electrical hazards, as well as safety and health issues regarding heat exhaustion.

The only fully functioning worker center in San Diego County is called “Labor Connections,” a project of Interfaith Services in Escondido. Also, the City of Carlsbad has a small trailer that serves as hiring hall.

Michelle Lenoue, who has directed Labor Connections for the past eight years, says the center provides security for both the worker and the employers. “The worker knows he will get paid at the end of the day,” said Lenoue, “and the employer is assured of a worker that wants to improve his skills and learn English.”

“Day labor centers have two basic arms,” said Christy Lubin, who coordinates the Graton Day Labor Center near Santa Rosa, Calif. “One is the political arm, fighting government policies that hurt people. The other meets the practical needs of the workers. These centers set wages and hold employers accountable for safety, fair wages and good working conditions.”

Day laborer Juan Cuandron said that the Graton center has helped him develop his skills both as a worker and activist. “When you come to the U.S. you need to find work, so there is a lot of competition among the workers,” he said. “The center builds unity among the workers. We learn English and we improve our skills.”

Cuandron said that employers often refuse to pay workers and threaten to call Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) if they complain. “We have trainings for these workers and the center gives them a sense of security.”

Daniel Silva Garcia said that the Casa Latina workers center in Seattle organizes day laborers according to such specialties as construction, carpentry, gardening and other fields. “We distribute information house to house. Our community knows us.

We have a good data base about how many hours our people work and how they get paid.

Casa Latina also has a mediator in case of accusations of abuse against the workers. “This person looks at both sides, the worker and the employer,” said Silva Garcia. “We often settle misunderstandings and work out solutions in this process.”
Meanwhile, Nelson Gamio and fellow day laborers are seeking help to open the Barrio Logan center. “We need help acquiring office furniture and supplies,” he said, “And volunteers are always welcome.”

For more information, or to make tax-deductible contributions to the San Diego Day Laborers and Household Work-ers, please contact Nelson (619) 634-2290, nlsgam@aol.com or Mark (760) 224-3872, mday700@yahoo.com