By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
For years, day laborers have unofficially assembled near the intersection of Jones Ferry and Davie roads hoping to be picked up for a few hours’ work. When a contractor arrives, would-be workers surround the car asking to be chosen; a few are selected, hop in the car and are gone within seconds.
But day laborers – mostly Latino immigrants – don’t know if they’ll be paid or how many hours they’ll be expected to work without a break. Contractors don’t know the workers they pick up or whether they’ll do the work they promise to do.
And neighbors of the unofficial day-laborer station have concerns about loitering and the issues that it brings.
“Our work is very hard, and also carries a lot of risk,†Alberto Rodriguez, a day laborer said through a translator to an assembly of Orange County Justice United members last week. “When we get a day of work, we don’t know if the contractor is going to pay us.
“We are hoping that a well-organized place can be created – a center where we can feel respected and work with pride,†Rodriguez said.
The mayors of Carrboro and Chapel Hill committed last week to work toward improving the day laborers’ situation by convening a task force that will examine and address the surrounding issues.
“It’s a very difficult situation that requires people to think specifically,†said Mauricio Castro, a member of Justice United’s immigrant family action team. “It requires also different sectors to be involved.â€
The immigrant family action team has been taking an in-depth look at the day-laborer issues and building relationships with the workers to determine what is needed and wanted as a solution.
The team asked the mayors, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce President Aaron Nelson and Carlo Robustelli, director of Durham Tech’s Orange County Operations, to publicly commit to the task force.
“I think this is an issue of real concern to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen,†Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton told Justice United members, adding that he wants to work toward “having a permanent, safe location where day laborers can seek work.â€
Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said people in Chapel Hill often incorrectly regard the issues surrounding day labor as a problem for other jurisdictions.
“It is our community often where the employment actually takes place and where the employers are from and where the employees live,†he said. “It is as much a challenge for Chapel Hill … as it is for Carrboro or Orange County.
“This is an issue I care about,†he added.
Past issues
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved an anti-lingering ordinance for the intersection of Jones Ferry and Davie in November 2007 after residents of the surrounding neighborhood complained of public consumption, public urination and garbage in the areas around the intersection. The ordinance prohibits waiting at the intersection from 11 a.m. until 5 a.m.
There were murmurs of creating an official day-laborer station in 2009 when after police reported that the ordinance appeared to be working, neighbors said problems continued. But plans for the station never took shape.
“This has been something that flares up every now and then,†Castro said. “It never goes anywhere.â€
Castro’s team has been researching the issues over the past several months and he hopes the task force can come up with a viable solution. The group has looked at official day-laborer stations in other cities, talked with the day laborers that gather in Carrboro and attempted, with little success, to contact contractors who hire the workers.
“We feel that at this point, we have quite enough info that indicates there is a tremendous interest in finding a viable center,†Castro said.
Challenges
Because the hiring process at the Jones Ferry/Davie gathering spot is unofficial and so fast, Castro said his group has had a hard time connecting with contractors who hire day laborers.
“We are hoping that by connecting through the chamber of commerce that we’re going to begin to build some sort of a relationship that is more formal and looking at the best interests of those who hire [the workers],†he said.
Castro said he has heard concerns regarding possible locations of the day-laborer station, but none from day laborers. The current gathering spot is close to several apartment complexes that are home to many Latino immigrants.
“I think that’s a conversation that we are going to open up with them very soon too,†he said. “Whether transportation are issues of concern or whether the location is a concern.â€
The group also wants to correct the perception that all day laborers are undocumented immigrants.
“The perception is that these people are all undocumented, but that’s not true. We have learned that a lot of them are not,†Castro said.
There is a long way to go, he added, but for now the task force will continue the work of Justice United’s team.
“At this point, the place is not going anywhere. It is still a work in progress and we are taking an approach of being very realistic about the situation,†Castro said. “We feel that if this is done correctly … that there will be protection for the workers as well as for the people who hire them.â€
I want to thank the Towns for bringing this issue to the forefront. It’s easy for community members to forget that there are gross human rights violations happening right here in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Now, perhaps more than ever, it is important that people know the facts about the challenges that face immigrants – legal or otherwise – so we can conduct ourselves, and our communities, in a way that is just and equitable, and build a community that we can be proud of. As a friend recently reminded me, we’re only as strong as our weakest link. Employers must be held accountable to those who they employ.