Jesus at 15th and P -- An E-interview with Jana Meyer about day laborers

In the heart of Washington, D.C., a block away from Foundry United Methodist Church, Latino  men gather early in the morning every day --seven days a week--  looking for a day’s work. 

Jana Meyer, Foundry Church’s minister of mission, (pictured below right) has organized a group of volunteers to take the men  bottled water and sandwiches and to build relationships with them. As we approach Labor Day, Untied Methodist asked Jana to educate us about the day laborers she has come to know through this new ministry.

I’ve walked past the day laborers a block from the church almost every day for three years. Sometimes there have been 30 or 40 of them. I’ve nodded hello and wondered what their lives are like but done little more. What motivated you to reach out to them?

I first met some of them during our Friday walk-in mission, and then became aware that they were waiting for work at 15th and P streets.   I heard some of their stories at the walk-in mission and I was interested in their situation, particularly since they meet only a block away from the church.

What are their lives like?

Very hard. Many of them are sending money back home to their families, or paying back the money they paid to get here.  Most of them simply want to work.  Few of them get work every day.  Many wait all morning without getting work.  When they do get work, they may not get paid.  Many are injured on the job, and employers often take no responsibility.  If the worker has not managed to get all the employer's information, which often happens, it will be difficult if not impossible for them to pursue their right to worker's compensation, or to unpaid salary.  The workers also endure separation from their families and loneliness.  Sometimes this can lead to substance abuse.   Some are homeless; others are residents in Mt. Pleasant and Columbia Heights.  For many, the corner is also their community. 

Who hires them? I assume somebody must or they wouldn’t keep coming back every day. How much do they get paid? Are they treated well?

Usually they are hired by individuals.  Sometimes this can be a subcontractor.  Many do painting.  Some do construction, or moving, or clean-up work.  Some of them do skilled work.

The pay varies.  The workers have recently tried to collectively ask for a minimum of $10/hour; however some workers, particularly newcomers, break that out of need and go for less.   The more skilled the worker is, the more he will ask for. 

Not getting paid is a big problem.  Other times, the employer will promise one wage and pay something less.  Many of the workers have talked about the lack of respect and even verbal abuse they must endure.  Some have told of being insulted with racist remarks throughout their work.

You have told me that there are other gathering places for day laborers in the Washington area, some that attract groups much larger than ours. Is this a national phenomenon? How widespread is it? Is it always Hispanic men?

Abel Valenzuela Jr. of the Center for the Study of Urban Poverty at UCLA has done quite a bit of research about day laborers.  According  to him, temporary day workers have been known to exist in the United States at least since 1834. There are day labor sites throughout the country. In Kentucky in one town where I worked, for example, much of the day labor was agricultural.

A research study in July 2004 led by UCLA interviewed 476 day laborers at 16 sites in the larger area.  Abel Valenzuela and Ana Luz Gonzalez recently released some of the initial reports of this study, entitled "In Pursuit of the American Dream: Day Labor in the Greater Washington, D.C. Region"  In that study, about 94 percent of the day laborers were Latino -- 67 percent were Central American, 14% percent were Mexican, and 12 percent were South American.

In addition to the bottled water and your presence (which is very important, I think), have you and our volunteers been able to help make their lives better?

I think it is too soon to ask that question, and that it is a question for the workers themselves to answer.  We provide information about places like the Employment Justice Center Worker's clinic that can help them protect their rights.  Other organizations such as Neighbors Consejo have been involved with this group for years, and know many of the men, and have provided support and counseling.  We have tried to work with different organizations to support the workers' own leadership and organizing.  My hope is that our ministry will support the workers efforts to improve their own lives, but that is not an easy process.

What can the church learn from them?

The day laborers  teach us what it truly means to put your life in God's hands.  Most of them have left everything, risking their lives to come to an unknown place to seek a better future for themselves and their families.   They work dangerous jobs without health insurance and without adequate safety equipment.  By listening to their stories, we can begin to learn about the realities of injustice and survival in our community, particularly for immigrant workers.   We also learn that we cannot generalize about their lives, because they are a complex and diverse group of people.

What, if anything, should our denominations and others be doing nationally on behalf of day laborers?

I think denominations can play a critical role by helping to frame the day labor discussion in terms of respect for the work and contributions of our neighbors.  We have seen the local debate on day laborers turn into a channel for national anti-immigrant sentiment. We can help counter these negative and ill-informed stereotypes by expressing support for the positive contributions of day laborers to our local community.   

For example, according to the UCLA study 50percent of day laborers attended church, and worked in their own community.  One of the workers at the 15th and P site is the vice-president of his church youth group.  He works with over 30 young people.  Day laborers are family oriented, sending an average of $3,000 per year to their families.   

Denominations also can play a critical role in strongly advocating for immigration reform that supports a path to legalization, workers rights, and family reunification.   They can support immigration as positive for our country and for our community.

For more information on ways to support day laborers, churches can contact the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

How have you sensed the presence of Christ in this ministry?

One of the day laborers' name is Jesus (a common name for men in Spanish), and his name for me is a constant reminder that Christ is very present at 15th and P.  In fact, I often feel I have to leave the church and walk to 15th and P to encounter Christ, even if it is not always an easy place to be.  I know that if Jesus were physically with us today, he would spend time at 15th and P,  where people struggle every day for survival, for dignity and for justice.

Comments

[Steve Heyduck]

At http://banditsnomore.blogspot.com/ under the heading of "Another Political Observation" I offer another angle on ministry at the Foundry UMC.

[Revwilly]

Dean,
An interesting and helpful blog. It's sad but obvious people don't feel as passionate about this as they do homosexuality. I'm guessing I might be the only one who comments.

[John Wilks]

Thank you very much for blogging on this topic.

Willy is quite right about how apathetic we often are about this issue.

Don' get me wrong- the homosexuality debate is important. But not as important as food, shelter, education, access to health care, and other bare-bones basics of life.

Being from West Texas, I've seen the reality of this issue my whole life. I've heard the constant complaints from middle-class whites (and sometimes Hispanics) complaining about illegal workers taking up jobs.

At the same time, I never heard anyone complaining about the poverty of Northern Mexico and the corruption of the PRI government that sent people fleeing into Texas in hope of a better life for their children.

As an Evangelical, I am so frustrated that those who are so quick to beat the drum in defense of Biblical instruction on sexuality and family matters so often neglect the Bible's mandate to care for the alien, the fatherless, and the widow.

It is a false holiness which stresses only personal piety and fails to extend love and grace to the hungry, the homeless, and the desperate.

[John]

My neighborhood consists mainly of impoverished Colombians. You've given me some good ideas about how to minister to them. Thanks.