Day labor

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 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.

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 American immigrants, native born white and African-American citizens. The majority are active community members who participate in religious institutions and sports teams. 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. NDLON and the Day Labor Research Institute promote cooperation between day laborers, local government, police, other local residents, and businesses to avoid unproductive anti-immigrant hysteria, and achieve solutions that benefit all involved.