Council Funding is Nation’s Largest Investment of Day Laborer Centers

Brooklyn, NY– Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Chair of the Committee on Finance, and Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Chair on the Committee on Immigration and day laborers, today celebrated funding victory of $500,000 dollars for day laborer centers in New York City. Speaking at the Bay Community Center, on one of the city’s first and oldest day laborer centers, the Speaker and the Council Member were joined by the Workers Justice Project, the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agency, the New Immigrant Community Empowerment, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the Staten Island Jobs Center, along with dozens of day laborers.

“Day laborers play a fundamental role in the construction, development and growth of our great city,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Beyond their hard work day in and day out, these laborers contribute so much to the vibrancy and richness of New York. The funding for this initiative will continue to validate these centers as epicenters of workforce development for this community of workers.”

“Day laborers have made an immense contribution to the development of this city and are deserving of protection and support,” said Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Chair of the Committee on Finance. “The Council is proud to provide funding for legal services, meeting space and training so that they may continue to grow.”

“The City Council’s allocation of 500,000 dollars for this important initiative signals our commitment to the issues of workers–especially the most marginalized,” said Carlos Menchaca, Chair, Committee on Immigration. “Day Laborers, as we’ve seen and studied, are facing incredible hurdles to remain employed and provide for themselves and their loved ones. Creating centers where they can access services–in the their language–will prove transformative to their development as workers and as members of our community. I thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for her leadership and her support on this important issue.”

In FY 16, $500,000 was allocated through the Day Laborer Initiative, which will be used for the expansion and development of day laborer centers. Services will include dignified physical space for day laborers to meet, referrals to job or support services, legal services to address issues such as wage theft, as well as workforce training and development.

“This historic investment in Day Labor Centers is a meaningful step to raise and enforce robust labor standards in an informal sector with non-traditional employment relations. It will allow entire communities to set fair wages, better working conditions and will improve the quality of life of workers and their families,” said Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director, Worker’s Justice Project (WJP).

“Today we celebrate the largest investment by any government entity into Day Laborers and Day Laborer Centers,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA). “Through these centers, more and more workers will be able to connect to employers in need of skilled workers, recover lost wages, and access critical support services offered in New York City. We at FPWA thank Speaker Mark-Viverito and the New York City Council for their support, and we look forward to working with them and our coalition partners to ensure the success of this initiative.”

“The NICE applauds the New York City Council for supporting the Day Laborer Workforce Initiative, which will provide critical services to New York’s day laborers,” said Jessica Garcia, Interim Executive Director, New Immigrant Community Empowerment. “This historic investment in immigrant workers acknowledges the integral role day laborers play in the economic growth of the city, and the crucial role day laborer centers play in empowering workers with the knowledge and skills they need to negotiate fair wages and ensure safe working conditions.”

“This Initiative is the first of its kind in NYC, it will improve the conditions of our day laborer community,” said Carlos Vargas from the Staten Island Community Job Center. “These men and women work tirelessly to support their families and they are a vital role in the contribution of our local economy.”

The Day Laborer Initiative recognizes the important work that day laborer centers do as the epicenters of workforce development for this community of workers. Participating partners in this initiative are the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), Staten Island Community Job Center (SICJC), Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) and Third Sector of New England.

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