Some day laborers report being abused and cheated in their pay [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

Jan. 21, 2006, 11:46PM
SEEKING WORK, FINDING TROUBLE
Some day laborers report being abused and cheated in their pay
Researchers surprised by the pervasiveness of wage violations, dangers on job

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
New York Times

The first nationwide study on day laborers has found that such workers are a nationwide phenomenon, with 117,600 people gathering at more than 500 hiring sites to look for work on a typical day.

The survey found that three-fourths of day laborers are illegal immigrants and that more than half said employers had cheated them on wages in the previous two months.

The study, based on interviews with 2,660 workers at 264 hiring sites in 20 states and the District of Columbia, found that day laborers earn a median of $10 an hour and $700 a month. The study said that only a small number earn more than $15,000 a year.

The professors who conducted the study said the most surprising finding was the pervasiveness of wage violations and dangerous conditions that day laborers face.

"We were disturbed by the incredibly high incidence of wage violations," said study author Nik Theodore, of the University of Illinois at Chicago. "We also found a very high level of injuries."
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3603563.html
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