Day Laborers

Generally hired for the duration of a particular job, immigrant day laborers are employed in landscaping, construction, manufacturing and the service sectors.  Day laborers obtain work through a variety of means.  Some day laborers follow the long tradition of assembling at an informal "shape-up" site to negotiate work with employers.  Temporary employment agencies are also serving as corporate intermediaries between day laborers and third party employers seeking to cut costs.  Regardless of how the work is obtained, day laborers offer employers a flexible labor source, yet are frequently subject to egregious employment law violations.  This section offers: resources for legislative and policy advocacy, academic and government resources on day labor and fact sheets on the workplace rights of day laborers.  NELP’s Immigrant Day Laborer Project advocates on behalf of day laborers through policy advocacy and legal technical assistance for day labor organizers. 

Day Labor Research
This section contains academic studies, government reports and other resources for day laborers and day labor advocates. 

Legal Resources for Day Laborers and Advocates
This section contains NELP fact sheets and other legal resources for day laborers and day labor advocates.

Legislative and Policy Advocacy Resources
This section contains legislative advocacy resources for day labor organizers and policy makers.