New Orleans Archdiocese increases outreach to Hispanic day laborers

Published: 2006-08-21

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Honduran native Wilfredo Quevara came to New Orleans last December looking for work. The 38-year-old father of two rents an apartment with about 13 others and has found day jobs doing roofing, cleaning, carpentry, plumbing, demolition and gutting -- but no permanent job. At some jobs he hasn't been paid and at others he said he wasn't permitted to stop for a water or lunch break. He wants to learn English but hasn't had time to take classes so he struggles to negotiate with employers. On a July morning, he described some of his challenges to Eva San Martin, an outreach worker of the New Orleans Archdiocese Hispanic Apostolate hired after Hurricane Katrina. San Martin visits the various day laborer pickup sites around the city every day to meet these men. She hands out safety gear, such as goggles, gloves and masks; notifies them of educational programs, information fairs and community resources; and provides literature on workers' rights with advice such as telling them to make sure they get an employer's name, phone number, address and license-plate number. Workers with strong cases of abuse are referred to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Loyola University School of Law legal clinic.

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