City of Austin - Downtown Report
April 1999

One Stop Labor Center

Summary

The One Stop Labor Center, 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 One Stop Labor Center 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

A number of changes have been made in order to improve the operation of the One Stop Labor Center. 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 began a more structured day labor program that involves matching appropriately skilled day laborers with employers. Under this program, both employers and laborers must sign in with the One Stop Labor Center Coordinator. Laborers are assigned to appropriate employers according to the order in which they sign in, unless employers have specific requests.

The number of laborers utilizing the One Stop Labor Center has increased. As a result, the program is now focusing on increasing employer participation. Further improvements are to the program are continuing, as follows:

1. Relocation: City staff is negotiating an agreement to secure a new site for the One Stop Labor Center. Staff is also meeting with residents from neighborhoods near the potential site to address their concerns.
2. Outreach: Outreach workers employed under contract with El Buen Samaritano have been working for several months to increase the number of day laborers using the program. Outreach workers are also working to increase ownership of the program among laborers by establishing a workers advisory board. This advisory board will share responsibility in program design and decision making.
3. Structural Changes: Since the role of the One Stop Labor Center is to help people secure employment, efforts are being made to increase the involvement of the Capital Area Workforce Development Board. For a short time, the Texas Workforce Commission had staff assigned to work at the site. Staff was later removed due to logistical problems, however, efforts are being made to re-assign Workforce Commission staff to the new location.

Issues

The largest issues at present are: 1) completing the improvements already underway (described above), and 2) ensuring that more workers and employers use the formal program rather contracting for work from the streets.

The search for a new site is nearly complete. After an extensive search, including a request for proposals from property owners and agents throughout the community, eight potential sites were identified. This list was narrowed down to two finalists based on the following criteria: (a) accessibility to major thoroughfares; (b) accessibility to bus lines, (c) relative proximity to residential neighborhoods; and (d) sufficient space to accommodate program operations. Efforts are now under way to work with both neighborhood residents and workers to develop a site that addresses their needs and concerns.

Another issue that demands more attention is increasing the number of employers using the One Stop Labor Center. While program outreach has successfully increased the number of workers using this program, the number of employers has not kept pace with demand for work. Several strategies are now being developed to address this problem.

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