day laborers in Guerneville

[davin]

For folks living in the Guerneville area, I have been out on behalf of the Graton Day Labor Center helping facilitate meeting with day laborers in Guerneville. Today, they voted to move themselves over to the Park and Ride parking lot with hopes that employers will move over as well. If folks want to support this effort, especially considering the sentiments of local business owners as of late, please drive by and hire some workers in these next few days, even if just for a few hours. With no work, they workers may become disillusioned quickly and go back to their prior spot. There is no official process, but the workers self regulate, so just pull up and hire who you need. You can call Susan at (303) 901 - 9938 if you want more info. thanks

[Homomasculine man]

First Question. I own property and am often looking for help. I will gladly comply with your suggestion, but are these workers "legal" or "illegal"? If I, or any homeowner or employer, hires illegal aliens, then we are part of the outsourcing of American jobs, and we should be spanked, and your job-seekers, if not legal, should be, well, invited to leave. I am a bleeding heart, but I also have an analytical mind.

[davin]

asking undesirable people "to leave" dont mean you analytical. Im neither a bleeding heart nor analytical but your private sector has done a magnificent job of outsourcing work, and your government aint done much to create jobs, so maybe that where the analysis should be. blaming workers for the failure of a shitty economic system, while wealth still hella concentrated, dont seem to add up. If you need "legals" to do your work, ask them, they'll probably answer you in english.

[ChristineL]

Homomasculine Man is not blaming the workers...whether you agree with his point of view or not, as a potential employer he is taking responsibility for the ramifications of his hiring practices. He is trying not to be part of the private sector that has done such a magnificent job of outsourcing work.

[aslanonthego]

My experience with the day laborers in Guerneville is this: my neighbor used them men frequently to help him with heavy lifting and gardening work. I have met several of the men and found them to be kind and very hard working. They need to make a living whether they are so-called legal residents. How many white guys do you see standing out in the cold looking for work?

[Dynamique]

Not many, because most of them (along with black guys and asian guys) have the good sense to stay out of the rain and inside their union halls to find LEGAL work through appropriate, above-the-table channels.

What is the insurance situation with these day laborers? If you have them work on your property and they get hurt, who is on the hook? Can they sue the homeowner? Do they have some kind of worker's compensation coverage?

... How many white guys do you see standing out in the cold looking for work?

[FRIEDSHOES]

For folks living in the Guerneville area, I have been out on behalf of the Graton Day Labor Center helping facilitate meeting with day laborers in Guerneville. Today, they voted to move themselves over to the Park and Ride parking lot with hopes that employers will move over as well. ...

Cool, that should make the teenage girls in town happy.

[Alfonz]

Regardless of whether one hires an illegal laborer or a U.S. citizen it is the responsibility of the homeowner or contractor to provide Workman's Compensation Insurance. Without it there is the potential risk of being held liable for injuries whether for real or pretended. Same goes for hiring an independent carpenter or any unlicensed tradesperson. You can save some money but there is definitely risk involved should someone incur an injury. That is one important reason folks have to pay high prices for Licensed Contractors, as they usually have Workers Comp. and will deal with all the legal consequences of an injury.
I assume that most folks rarely think about how they would react if a worker broke his/her arm, a slipped vertebrae disk etc. Would you drop them at the E.R. and then disappear leaving the costs to be absorbed by taxpayers? Hang around for hours and then pay their medical bills? Give them some bucks and tell them "sorry, now your own your own"? Just offering some food for thought here..........

Basically, if you hire anyone you become the employer and come under the State & Federal Employment laws. It does get complicated as it then enters into the realm of paying employer taxes just like any business is required to do.

Other options:
1) Hire through a labor agency such as Command Center or Labor Finders in S.R. They send workers to your job and cover all legal aspects. Generally costs in the $17 p/hr range with a 4 hour minimum.
2) Investigate your Homeowners Insurance and interpret what the policy states in terms of occasional labor.

{Edit April 2018 by Barry: Command Center is closed. Labor Finders is closed in Santa Rosa }

Al
Al Lustig Remodeling
Ca. lic. B505613

...What is the insurance situation with these day laborers? If you have them work on your property and they get hurt, who is on the hook? Can they sue the homeowner? Do they have some kind of worker's compensation coverage?

[aslanonthego]

Thanks, Alfonz, for your non-judgmental yet practical response. You are right, of course, about taking legal responsibility and all that entails. I'm sure my initial response came from my heart and not my head. In a perfect world...I'm just so tired of hearing desparaging remarks about Mexicans and other minorities who are struggling to feed their families and get a piece of the pie, so to speak.

Regardless of whether one hires an illegal laborer or a U.S. citizen it is the responsibility of the homeowner or contractor to provide Workman's Compensation Insurance. Without it there is the potential risk of being held liable for injuries whether for real or pretended. Same goes for hiring an independent carpenter or any unlicensed tradesperson. You can save some money but there is definitely risk involved should someone incur an injury. That is one important reason folks have to pay high prices for Licensed Contractors, ...

[vdeva]

I have had day laborers work at my house for 30+ years. I don’t ask whether “Documented” or “undocumented” but most of these men and women have worked very hard and done good work. I have also hired licensed and unlicensed contractors and have had good and not so good work done by both. And color has never determined the quality of the outcome.

Anti-immigrant sentiment has never helped workers or workplace conditions and in fact just divides us while the rich take advantage.

[ChefJayTay]

Hiring day laborers without proper contracts, business licenses, and insurance, only leads to legal operations costing more.
In a state with way too many laws, and people whom only seem to want to add more... It sure has lots of people who like to ignore them at their convenience.

[Bryan]

fyi. homeowners insurance covers hired help that works for just one day. I used mine once for a guy who hurt his hand. He was here 10 minutes and tripped.

I am not sure what is covered if you bring someone in for a week though.

[ChefJayTay]

Meanwhile in the thread next door....
We're considering a 300million dollar bond, because laborers can't afford to live here.
Gee... wonder why.