| ON THE CORNERS Day Workers Reality |
| General Information
Day labor is a nation wide phenomenon. On any given day, approximately 117,600 workers are either looking for day-labor jobs or working as day laborers. The largest concentration of day laborers is in the West (42 percent), followed by the East (23 percent), Southwest (18 percent), South (12 percent) and Midwest (4 percent). Day-Labor Work �Their top five occupations include construction laborer, gardener and landscaper, painter, roofer, and drywall installer. � Day laborers search for work on a full-time basis. The vast majority (83 percent) relies on day-labor work as their sole source of income. Seventy percent search for work five or more days a week, while 9 percent seek work only one or two days a week. Wages and Earnings �The median hourly wage for day laborers is $10. Median earnings during peak periods (good months) are $1,400, while in slow periods (bad months) median monthly earnings fall to just $500. Workplace Safety and Employment Abuses � Day laborers regularly suffer employer abuse. � Workplace injuries are common. � Merchants and police often unfairly target day laborers while they seek work. The Day-Labor Workforce � Many day laborers support themselves and their family through this work. � Day laborers are active members of their communities. �The day-labor workforce in the United States is predominantly immigrant and Latino. Worker Centers � Worker centers have emerged as the most comprehensive response to the challenges associated with the growth of day labor. Community organizations, municipal governments, faith-based organizations and other local stakeholders have created and operate day-labor worker centers to reduce workers� rights violations and to help communities address competing concerns over day labor. Valenzuela, Abel Jr. (January 2006). Citing Wabe Sites. In On the Corners: Day Labor in the United States. Retrieved July 25, 2006, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/issr/csup/uploaded_files/Natl_DayLabor-On_the_Corner1.pdf |
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