Winter/Spring
2003
Contingent Workers Get Legal Help
As the economy continues to stumble, and more and more people find them-
selves out of work for longer periods of time, many are forced into the contin-
gent work force. These day laborers, many of whom are immigrants, are among
the most exploited people in our community. Contracted on a daily basis at
pick-up stations scattered throughout poorer neighborhoods in Chelsea,
Dorchester and other metro areas, they are hired, generally a day at a time, to
perform a wide range of manual labor type jobs for an hourly wage. People
willing to work for the day congregate in parking lots or intersections, usually
beginning at 4:30 a.m., and wait for prospective employers to drive by and hire
them. Often day labor agencies will hire a crew of people for such jobs as land-
scaping, demolition, sanitation, construction, janitorial, manufacturing, and
warehouse work. Examples of a day’s work include cleaning on the night shift
at Fenway Park, removing asbestos, digging ditches, working in recycling,
working in fish factories or cutting grass for a local corporation. Many of these
Contingent Workers . . . . . . . . pg. 1
Day Laborers, cont’d . . . . . . . pg. 2
SSA Letters Misused . . . . . . . pg. 2
Mac McCreight Wins Award. . . pg. 3
Budget Crisis Looms . . . . . . . pg. 3
Court Project Saves Lives . . . . pg. 4
This Issue…
Greater Boston
Legal Services is
the primary
provider of free
civil legal assis-
tance to poor
people living in
the City of Boston
and 31 surround-
ing cities and
towns.
VISIT US ON THE WEB
www.gbls.org
continued on page 2
photo by Bob Pluckebaum
Winter/Spring
2003
Social Security
Letters Mis-Used
by Employers
Day Labor Workforce
Often Exploited
"How can it be, in a country as strong and rich as this one, that tens of thousands of
are turned away every year because their government won't support the very program
- Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon)
workers are easily exploited due to limited English skills, desperation for even exploitive wages, and
lack of