Written by Ms. Holzgrafe; clip courtesy Morgan Hill Times
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Won First Prize in Editorial Writing, The California Newspaper Association, 2003
Citizens who step up to the plate and attempt to solve problems in their community are to be praised, encouraged and, when possible, cloned. One such batch of citizens is the St. Catherine’s Day worker Committee.
Responding to complaints about hoards of men lining East Main and Depot avenues waiting for casual work and concerned about the conditions these men are subjected to, the Committee jumped into action to find a solution.
The SCDC was originally formed of parishioners from St. Catherine’s Catholic Church but quickly gathered in members from other churches, service groups and organizations - and the City itself. Its early efforts revolved around serving coffee and rounding up coats for the men, who stand around in all weather offering mostly unskilled, but necessary labor. Lately the SCDC is trying to arrange for a Dayworker Center to address the problems and concerns surrounding the men.
People regularly pick up a few guys to dig holes, perform basic building, gardening or clean up. The men, virtually all of them, speak Spanish and very little English. The people who hire them, virtually all of them, speak English and very little Spanish. You get problems from this situation. What is the pay? By the hour or the job? Do they get lunch and/or breaks? What about water or bathrooms?
What happens when the implied contract breaks down - if the worker fails to fulfill what the employer thought was the job or if the employer fails to pay the worker what he expected? Is anything happening to improve the lot of these men, to help them become more useful citizens, to take care of their families better without relying on the public?
Initially one would think this was a no-brainer. But, the fact that many of them are thought to be undocumented - or illegal - workers stands as a barrier to some. "Why should we help them if they aren’t here legally," has been heard more than once.
Well, they are here and their families are here, so it behooves us to help them regularize their legal situation and make them more employable.
A dayworker center would get the men off the street; a bilingual staff would provide structure to the hiring situation. A center could offer English-as-a-Second Language lessons. It would have bathrooms. The SCDC estimates that $75,000 - $100,000 is needed to build an appropriate center.
The City has offered $50,000 to help with the center; Charles Weston and Lesley Miles of Weston Miles Architects are willing to have the center locate on property they are trying to purchase at Depot and East Main avenues. Other businesses have offered in-kind assistance.
Now the rest of us can help. The St. Catherine’s Committee (and a whole bunch of other churches and groups) is holding a Mexican Fiesta, Saturday, Oct. 12 from 4-8 p.m. at St. Catherine’s on Peak Avenue. Great food, music, Folklorico dancing, speeches, silent auctions, truly impressive door prizes and raffles, plus a chance to hobnob with everybody in town. Don’t miss it.
