Rep. Fossella Steps Up Action to Address Day Laborer Issue in Bensonhurst

U.S. Dept of Labor Concludes First Round of Outreach With More Planned for February

[Washington, DC] – Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY13) today announced that the first round of federal outreach to address the day laborer issue in Bensonhurst has concluded and the second round is expected to begin this month.

At Fossella's request, the New York District Office of the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor conducted an outreach/educational program over the past two months at seven different locations on 15th, 16th and 18th Avenues from 65th Street to 79th Street. The federal officials provided worker rights materials in Spanish and English to more than 100 day laborers who had congregated on these corners. A second round of outreach is expected to begin within two weeks.
The program is being coordinated in conjunction with the Latin American Workers Project, a program that helps low-wage immigrant workers avoid workplace abuse and exploitation and obtain better wages, working conditions and civil rights.

Fossella said, “This is a complex problem that will require a multi-pronged solution. The federal outreach effort is a step in the right direction, but we need to continue working on several different tracts to get this problem under control. It is not acceptable for our local street corners to be crowded with individuals seeking temporary employment. It diminishes our quality-of-life and hurts small employers throughout the area. I am encouraged by initial reports that the day laborers are being educated about their rights and federal employment laws. I believe this effort strikes the right balance between safeguarding the quality of life of Bensonhurst residents while protecting the rights of the day laborers. I want to extend my compliments to Bill Guarinello and Community Board 11 for their work on this initiative and their many other successes.”

In November 2005, Fossella secured a commitment from the Department of Labor to conduct outreach to the day laborer community in response to a plea for help from Community Board 11 Chairman Bill Guarinello, District Manager Howard Feuer and several Board members.
The main problem centers on the day laborers congregating on 18th Avenue and 65th Street as well as on 65th Street from New Utrecht Avenue to Bay Parkway while waiting for work instead meeting at the labor center located in the parking lot of Caesar's Bay shopping mall.

As part of its outreach efforts, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division will continue to do the following:
• Educating local businesses, contractors and others of all applicable federal employment laws.  
• Undertaking an educational outreach program that informs day laborers of their rights and the remedies available to them.
• Advising day laborers of resources available through the Latin American Workers Project. 

Bill Guarinello, Chairman, Community Board 11, said, “We appreciate Congressman Fossella's hard work to find a solution to this problem. He has made good on his promise to bring federal officials to Bensonhurst to help our community. By tapping into local resources like the Latin American Workers Project, this plan will move our community in the right direction. Our goal is to fully utilize the labor center at Caesars Bay while ensuring the rights of the day laborers are protected.”
 

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