City of Austin - Downtown Report
January 1999

Labor Solutions - One Stop Labor Center

Summary

"Labor Solutions," located on City-owned property on the 400 block of West César Chávez Street, is a facility equipped with restrooms and covered seating which provides shelter for day laborers while they wait for employment. The purpose of the Day Labor program is to link day laborers to employers and workforce development centers. Program staff register and collect information from day laborers and employers on a daily basis to help match laborers' skills with the appropriate job. Staff also educate potential employers about services available at the site in order to encourage additional job opportunities for laborers. The program also includes security and maintenance personnel who are assigned to provide services to the site and the surrounding area. Oversight, maintenance and security are contracted through Austin Travis County Mental Health Mental Retardation (ATC MHMR).

Status

Recently, a number of changes have been made in order to improve the operation of the Day Labor program. A perimeter fence with several entry gates has been installed around the site to separate day laborers from individuals who present security concerns. As of April 1998 MHMR also began a more structured day labor program that involves matching appropriately skilled day laborers with employers. Under this new program, both employers and laborers must sign in with the Day Labor Coordinator. Laborers are assigned to appropriate employers according to the order in which they sign in, unless employers have specific requests.

Further improvements are under development include 1) relocation of the program in order to clearly separate the One Stop Labor Center from homeless services, 2) outreach to laborers to promote utilization of the formal program and, 3) structural changes to program operations to remove barriers to use. The program has received additional funding to implement these improvements:

1. Relocation: Potential new sites have been identified. City real estate staff are in negotiations with property owners/agents to secure a site. Key criteria for selection are: a) access from major thoroughfares, b) access by bus for laborers, c) location away from residential neighborhoods and, d) sufficient space to accommodate program operations
2. Outreach: Austin Travis County MHMR, which manages the One Stop Labor Center, has contracted with El Buen Samaritano to perform outreach to laborers to promote greater participation in the program. This is intended to reduce the number of laborers soliciting work from the streets outside the Center.
3. Structural Changes: Program staff have worked to enhanced services to further encourage greater usage of the program. Most significant is the expanded advocacy for laborers in pay disputes. In addition, the Capital Area Workforce Development Board has assigned staff to the site to help connect day laborers to regular employment.

Issues

The largest issues at present are: 1) completing the improvements already underway (described above), and 2) ensuring that more workers use the formal program rather than seeking work on the streets. The activities described above were recommended by the Day Labor Task Force as a means of reducing the number of laborers on the streets.

One parallel track to limit solicitation on the streets that has not been aggressively pursued is an enforcement approach. The Task Force recommendations included institution of an ordinance to limit day labor exchange to the designated site. Rather than create a new ordinance, it has been the advice of city legal staff to step up enforcement of existing traffic related ordinances to prevent street solicitation. Some police effort has been targeted in this direction. Should program improvements not succeed in drawing most workers into the formal program, more punitive strategies will be revisited.

Description

Labor Solutions is an informal work corner where laborers and employers can meet to conduct business at their own risk. Workers are asked to register daily to improve job matching with employers. The City does not assume liability or provide assurances regarding payment of wages, compliance with compensation and benefits standards, documentation of citizenship or any guarantees regarding business transacted at Labor Connections. Conveniences such as restroom facilities and covered seating are provided, and staff are available to provide on-site monitoring and employment coordination.

Basic Data