Corner or Center?
The daily decision of day laborers and employers

by Leah Bilick

Every morning, while most people are still in bed, dreaming of island vacations and steaming cups of coffee, there are those who rise early and make their way onto the streets to wait for work. These people, often defined individually by anonymity and collectively by notoriety, are immigrants who live with the instability and uncertainty of day labor.

There is no guarantee of work from one day to the next. The workers’ daily fate relies on the employer who drives up and arbitrarily chooses one among the many to let into his car. The worker is then carted off to an unknown destination to work at an unknown job for an indeterminate amount of time. He may be paid that day; he may not. The employer may be satisfied with the job done, but he may also be gravely disappointed. This is the culture of “the corner.”

Street corners across the Eastern side of Montgomery County, and all over the country, are peopled every morning with day laborers looking for temporary work to provide for themselves and their family members, some here and some back in their countries. Before the sun comes up over the county, day laborers root themselves in their place on the corner and wait, sometimes hopeful, sometimes without expectation.

Set back on a small piece of land that slopes slightly upward, CASA of Maryland, Inc. sits unimposing yet easily accessible, offering its many services to the surrounding immigrant community. Beyond the English classes, legal services and health examinations that are offered, CASA is home Monday through Saturday to almost 100 day laborers that prefer the center to the corner.

Arriving at 6 a.m., the workers are greeted by CASA’s Employment Specialists, Guadalupe and Frederic, who facilitate the morning sign-up and lottery process, preparing the center for its first visit from an employer. Guadalupe, originally from El Salvador and a veteran at CASA, treats the workers as if they were her own children: both doting and stern, affectionate with a no-nonsense approach. She is the first face you will meet when you come to pick up a worker and you will know her immediately.

Stray hairs about her head, glasses at her nose, a sober expression with a smile just underneath, she will take care of you just as she does the workers and provide you with exactly what you need.

Guadalupe Adams talks to workers at a popular gathering spot about the benefits of using the CASA work site.

Frederic, an immigrant from Cameroon, Africa and a speaker of nine languages, is both Guadalupe’s sidekick and a presence in his own right. He knows the ins and outs not only of his job, but of the jobs the workers are required to perform and he assists in the worker-employer negotiation with ease and confidence. Like CASA’s edifice, he is modest, yet confident; unassuming, yet essential.

In addressing the difference between seeking work at the center versus. at the corner, José, a Honduran worker who has been coming to CASA for three years, says, “The difference for me is that one runs a big risk and danger on the corner because you don’t know if they are going to pay you or not. More than this, you run the risk of being taken to an unknown place and left there. Here [at CASA], we are fine because nobody mistreats us and when we go to work, the employer has to abide by the agreement as much as we do. We do what we are supposed to and the employers pay us.”

He realizes, as do many others, that CASA offers a unique and invaluable service that protects all parties involved in the negotiation. An immigrant from Cameroun and a newcomer to CASA, Eric says, “On the corner, there are no rules. The employer can do what he wants to employees and the other way around. Sometimes people go there to get cheap labor, but the only one who can benefit from that is the employer.” The workers understand that CASA offers them protection from people with bad intentions and all other dangers that exist on the street.

The most recent addition to CASA’s Employment staff, Tona Cravioto is the new Employment Program Manager and he arrived with a mélange of visions, ideas, expectations and demands. He introduced and implemented a mandatory set of principles for the workers called the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.

“All the professions in the world follow a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice,” said Tona. “Day laborers are not a recent phenomenon, but they are growing in numbers. It is, therefore, necessary to create a system that deters wrongdoing and promotes ethical behavior among the workers at our center in order to make them competitive, as well as meet the demands of our employers for excellent workers.”

Over a breakfast of eggs and rice and beans, prepared lovingly by Guadalupe, Tona discussed these new rules with the workers at the beginning of this month, and the workers walked away in agreement and with a greater understanding of the responsibilities that go along with offering a service to the community.

Eloy, a Peruvian immigrant who has been coming to the center for the past three months, expressed his belief that Standards of Practice are a necessary measure of security. “Every person should be prepared, be knowledgeable of the work they are going to do, and avoid risk. There are tools and materials that the workers are going to use when performing the job and they can have an accident at work if they don’t know how to use them.”

This is precisely the kind of attitude that Tona is working to spread among the workers at CASA. “Only at day labor centers like CASA of Maryland will you find workers committed to a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice,” he said in regard to the difference between an established center and the corner. With his unyielding energy and dedication, he is transforming CASA into a place that is characterized by respect, responsibility, honesty and professionalism.

The corner, on the other hand, is an unexamined, ungoverned space filled with risks for workers and employers alike. There is no staff that works from dawn onward to organize the workers and provide an excellent service to all those who call or stop in looking for help in their homes or businesses. There is no system of codes and standards, nor is there any accountability. And there is certainly no guarantee of safety for either party.

So next time you notice that your bushes need pruning or your bathrooms cleaning, pause and think a moment before swinging by the corner nearest you. There is no guarantee anywhere that a job done will be a job well done, but it’s comforting to know that there is a place nearby that has dedicated itself to being professional, getting to know its workers and providing its employers with the service that they need.

Leila Bilick is a job developer at CASA of Maryland.

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