Day labor centers are community-based, non-profit organizations established to create an organized and streamlined process to match day laborers with potential employers. They provide a safe and clean environment for day laborers to congregate and wait for work, in places protected from the elements. They are often established in response to community complaints about day laborers who congregate on public street corners or in front of stores while waiting for potential employers to pick them up. They attempt to solve several problems at once.
Day Labor Organizing
Day laborer organizing began in the mid-1980s with efforts to educate workers about their civil liberties and workplace protections. This work grew to include advocacy on behalf of day laborers with police and other community stakeholders and to prevent wage and hour violations.
National Day Laborer Organizing Network
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), founded in 2001, is an alliance of 36 community-based organizations and worker centers across the United States, dedicated to improving the lives of day laborers.
Learn more about NDLON at their website: www.ndlon.org
Starting a Day Labor Center
NDLON has published a summary of the ‘best practices’ for starting and running a day-labor center from the perspective of both workers and organizers. The report can be found here.