A Home of Their Own

By Casey Sanchez

"This is a 360 degree turnaround," said Miguel Ambriz. "I'm very proud"

Since moving from Mexico six years ago, Ambriz has spent the last five years as a day laborer [jornalero], hustling work at six a.m. from an Albany Park street corner as a painter, dry-wall hanger and carpenter.

For the first time in many years, Ambriz has a place to wait inside where the contractors will come to him and he won't have to fight his way through a crowd of men to get a job. On Thursday, December 16, the Latino Union and the day laborers of Albany Park officially opened their workers' center at 4174 N. Elston (corner of Avers).

Most days when a contractor's van pulls up to a street corner, the men run and push each other to be nearest the car window. Some really have the construction skills sought, while others brag and exaggerate to get a particular job.

What a Workers' Center Will Do

One of the biggest changes a work­ers' center could usher in is an organized approach to day labor. "The contractor has to come in", said Arturo Nieto, a day laborer of eight years.

That's a big change from the current practice of workers scrambling for the attention of contractors, often pushing each other aside. In the summer of 2003, Albany Park day laborers with the support of the Latino Union occupied an abandoned CTA bus turn-around just south of

Foster on Pulaski. The day laborers claimed the property was a perfect fit for them, after losing their space at the Salvation Army across the street. The bus turnaround was located away from residential houses and had a paved turnaround that kept the jornaleros of f the sidewalks. Alderman Margaret Laurino, (39th), police and parks advocates said the day laborers were illegally using and trespassing on city-owned property. After a standoff of several weeks, police forced the workers to leave and then fenced off the property.

Since that time, the Latino Union kept looking for a different spot in the neighborhood. They signed a lease for the Elston spot in August. Since then, workers have been volunteering their time, using donated construc­tion materials and tools to rehab the 1,600 square foot building. Rent on the building runs $1,200 a month.

A set of rules drafted and ratified by day laborers hangs on the wall. They vary from forbidding soliciting for work outside the worker's center to prohibiting anyone to enter the center drunk. A list of labor prices such as $15 an hour/roofing and carpenter, drywall $12 an hour is also posted.

The Latino Union believes the workers' center is the first of its kind in the Midwest. Workers' centers have been open for several years in California, Texas and Arizona. Following the model of these workers' centers, jobs will be given in rotating order off a list of men qualified for the job. Those who don't find work one day are put on the priority list for the next morning. Latino Union officials hope to offer English and construction skill classes at the center by this spring.

The Latino Union affords the rent on the building by some $20,000 they have collected in donations from churches and private donors. Ultimately though, they believe day labor is a city problem to be addressed with city resources.

"To make this effort sustainable over the long-term, however, city and state officials need to make a real commitment to workers' rights and safety in the workplace. This means designating resources to making the center a success," said Jessica Aranda, Executive Director of the Latino Union of Chicago.