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Abstract #148370

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Paula Worby, MPH, School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Earl Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, 510 848-4075, pworby@berkeley.edu

The widespread visibility of Latin American immigrant laborers seeking work on U.S. streets fuels fierce public controversy. Policy initiatives have ranged from the punitive (anti-loitering legislation) to the supportive (worker-centers providing job-matching and social services) each with their respective disadvantages or challenges. This case study provides an overview of San Francisco Bay Area day laborer program models and examines in depth two hiring sites experimenting with an alternative model of street-based outreach, community building among day laborers, and mediation among sectors traditionally opposed to day laborers' presence. This approach recognizes the difficulties in attracting day laborers to inside hiring hall sites that are perceived as compromising their autonomy. By viewing the abuses and hazards that day laborers suffer while seeking work on the street as occupational risks, the hypothesis is that changing the policy and physical environment through city level coordination is conducive to worker safety and furthermore diminishes stresses associated with work conditions. Furthermore, working with day laborers on the street provides opportunities for health education and injury prevention, health services, advocacy, and collective action.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

• List key characteristics of Latino immigrant day laborers in California,
• Identify common types of city policies currently in place that affect day laborer health and safety,
• List different existing models of worker centers and worker organizing programs
• Describe the potential of altering both local policies and politics through specific outreach, mediation, and advocacy strategies.

Keywords: Immigrants, Migrant Workers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Slides (pdf) or Handout