Dirt-cheap day labor - The Basics

[peejay 327]

The Basics

Dirt-cheap day labor

Need help with a home project? In many cities, you'll find ready workers hanging out in store parking lots or at intersections. But you might be a lawbreaker if you hire them.

By Judi Hasson

The paint is peeling off your front door. There are leaves to rake in the yard. And you desperately need a strong back to help move some furniture.

These jobs are typically too small to attract the attention of a contractor -- but not so small that an entire industry hasn't sprung up to accommodate them. In most cities of any size, there's a ready pool of cheap labor available on short notice, congregating in parking lots near the local Home Depot or a similar store, or at high-traffic intersections.

The catch: There's a chance you could be prosecuted if you pay an illegal worker more than $50 or don't pay your share of Social Security taxes. Beyond that, any work the laborer does comes without a guarantee. And you've invited a stranger into your home.

This underground economy is thriving. A snapshot of one business day last year found 117,600 day laborers working or looking for jobs at 500 sites, according to a January 2006 study funded by the Ford Foundation and other think tanks. Three-quarters of them were undocumented workers.

Almost half of those workers were hired for household chores. The top jobs were construction, gardening, painting and drywall installation, according to the study, "On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States."

About 12 million undocumented workers live in the U.S., 7 million of them working for companies or picking up odd jobs, according to immigration experts.

Some communities, fed up with the inability of Congress to deal with illegal-immigrant problems, have passed their own laws to crack down on hiring day workers. Other towns, such as Herndon, Va., not far from the nation's capital, have set up specific places where day workers can wait for employers to drive by looking for workers.

The legal tangle

"The share of private homes hiring illegals goes up every year," says Steven Camarota, the director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C.

"It's hard to find labor on a periodic basis," a Cave Creek, Ariz., homeowner who uses day labor told The Arizona Republic. "There's no other source up here to find someone."

Even though it's just a day's work, you're still considered an employer. As such:

▪If you pay a worker more than $50 a month, you must pay the employer's share of Social Security taxes and withhold federal income taxes. These rules apply even if the worker is not a citizen.

▪You must fill out an I-9 form, an employer verification notice required by immigration authorities. It is available on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Web site. You don't have to file it with any government agency, but just in case government officials ever knock on your door to see the form, keep it handy.

▪You are required to see two valid identifications from each worker, including one with a photo.

What are the risks?

What are the chances of a homeowner being caught?

"Virtually none at all," says San Diego attorney Jeff Isaac, who calls himself "a lawyer in bluejeans" for his practical approach to the law.

However, if you are planning to run for public office or have your eye set on a confirmable position, hiring an undocumented worker may be enough to wreck your career plans.

Cecilia Munoz, the senior vice president for the National Council of La Raza, a national Hispanic civil-rights organization, also pointed out that employers are not expected to be able to spot whether these documents are valid, and for day labor, employers "tend not to check."

Though it is illegal to hire an undocumented worker, the law is seldom enforced. And in the cases where it is, authorities focus on companies that hire many illegal immigrants. These companies can be fined and the undocumented workers possibly deported to their home country.

Safety: Yours and theirs

If a day laborer is injured on your property, he could sue you or seek to make a claim on your homeowners insurance policy.

Because some insurance companies have riders that prohibit payments to illegal workers, it might be a good idea to see what you are liable for before you head down this hiring route.

Whether a homeowners policy would cover an injured day worker depends on state workers-compensation law and whether any employer is required to have coverage. Citizenship is not a factor. If state laws do not apply, then a homeowner's liability and medical coverage may cover an accident.

You've invited a stranger to your home. Women especially should take typical precautions, such as inviting a neighbor or friend over (or calling them when workers are in the house), or carrying a personal alarm or safety device such as pepper spray.

If you decide to hire a day laborer

▪Learn some basic Spanish phrases. The majority of day laborers are Spanish-speaking; many may not know English. At the very least you should be able to name the task you would like done. It will probably cost you more if you need an English-speaking helper for the day, said Pablo Alvarado, the director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, a coalition of day-laborer groups.

▪Know what you expect to pay. This varies from place to place, but a good guideline is New York and Los Angeles, where the hourly rate is about $10. It's more expensive if workers bring their own tools or if it is heavy-duty work, Alvarado says. Even if a job lasts several days, expect to pay at the end of each workday.

▪Typically, homeowners provide lunch if a job is for all day.

▪Treat these workers like any other employee. They may need your bathroom, regular breaks, or rides to and from their originating point or to a public bus stop. "Employers are employers, no matter whether you are hiring a person for a day or a year," Alvarado says.

▪The work won't be guaranteed. You cannot stop payment on the check because you have most likely paid in cash. And you might not be able to locate the worker to complain or get a shoddy job fixed.

Published Aug. 10, 2007

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Savin...apDayLabor.aspx

[rika60607 215]

Anybody heard of MANPOWER?

Here is your perfectly legal day labor, constituted of LEGAL AMERICANS, and guess what? They don't have enough job offers.

[Heracles 417]

Anybody heard of MANPOWER?

Here is your perfectly legal day labor, constituted of LEGAL AMERICANS, and guess what? They don't have enough job offers.

yes but 'apparently' illegal immigrants are doing the jobs Americans don't want to do. I am sure they found this out from all of those surveys and research they conducted..

In reality what they, the employers, are saying is that the illegal immigrants are willing to be exploited and paid a few dollars an hour; which Americans are not..

Edited August 17, 2007 by Boo-Yah!

[AnaAndDaniel 0]

Anybody heard of MANPOWER?

Here is your perfectly legal day labor, constituted of LEGAL AMERICANS, and guess what? They don't have enough job offers.

dunno man. If the fence falls after a windstorm and need some help, last thing anyone does is go to Manpower. Besides hiring pro contractors, folks tend to go where the labor hangs out. You don't tipically see unemployed Amercian citizens hanging out on spot waiting for the chance of spot labor.

Daniel

:energetic:

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I hope no one gets raped or murdered. Another high cost of low price.

[AnaAndDaniel 0]

I hope no one gets raped or murdered. Another high cost of low price.

most rapist are known to the victim. sad reality.

Daniel

:energetic:

[Dan J 277]

I hope no one gets raped or murdered. Another high cost of low price.

Most rapists and murders are actually citizens.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I hope no one gets raped or murdered. Another high cost of low price.

Most rapists and murders are actually citizens.

duh. there are more citizens than illegals in the USA..... so far.

[AnaAndDaniel 0]

I hope no one gets raped or murdered. Another high cost of low price.

Most rapists and murders are actually citizens.

duh. there are more citizens than illegals in the USA..... so far.

so, you should be saying something like this: "I hope no one gets raped or murdered. Another high cost of high price"

Daniel

:energetic:

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I hope no one gets raped or murdered. Another high cost of low price.

most rapist are known to the victim. sad reality.

Daniel

:energetic:

oh... he'll be known. "officer, he was the guy who cleaned our gutters for $20"

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

With all the illegals around, you'd have to be either idiotic or insanely wealthy to rule out hiring low-cost illegal labor.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

With all the illegals around, you'd have to be either idiotic or insanely wealthy to rule out hiring low-cost illegal labor.

dude. not all of us are useless around the house. I'm quite the DIY'er. Many people outside of the NJ/NY area are.

[Ban Hammer 14,269]

With all the illegals around, you'd have to be either idiotic or insanely wealthy to rule out hiring low-cost illegal labor.

dude. not all of us are useless around the house. I'm quite the DIY'er. Many people outside of the NJ/NY area are.

ditto. the only questionable status individuals i've hired to help me i posted in a thread several months ago

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

With all the illegals around, you'd have to be either idiotic or insanely wealthy to rule out hiring low-cost illegal labor.

dude. not all of us are useless around the house. I'm quite the DIY'er. Many people outside of the NJ/NY area are.

ditto. the only questionable status individuals i've hired to help me i posted in a thread several months ago

I remember

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

With all the illegals around, you'd have to be either idiotic or insanely wealthy to rule out hiring low-cost illegal labor.

dude. not all of us are useless around the house. I'm quite the DIY'er. Many people outside of the NJ/NY area are.

Exactly. As I always say: I mow my own damn lawn. And do whatever else around the house. I learned how do do what needs to be done growing up. My dad had three sons and made damn sure not to raise sissies. Is that not how it's done in India, AJ?

Edited August 18, 2007 by Mr. Big Dog