Laborers love the newly remodeled Bay Parkway Job Center
Day laborers have a reason to cheer; what couldve been a chaotic situation after their former community job center was destroyed after Hurricane Sandy, turned out to be the reason they now have a nicer place to meet.
The Bay Parkway Community Job Center reopened its doors in February of this year with elected officials and contractors present to celebrate the triumph. The high winds had wrecked their small shed, where up to 15 men would meet to wait for work to come to them; but the days of standing in the corners on cold and rainy days are finally over. After several months, the center is back.
The hard-working laborers, mostly of Hispanic descent, have come together under one roof to demand that their basic rights are met. With the help of Yadira Sanchez, wife of one of the laborers, and Ligia Guallpa, the Workers Justice Project, which is the organization that managers the center, stands stronger than ever.