Weve been threatened: The Workplace Project in Hempstead advocates on behalf of Latino day laborers
Title
Weve been threatened: The Workplace Project in Hempstead advocates on behalf of Latino day laborers
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2
Vtmbh article author
Rodolfo Castillo
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Angry because we support the workers claims to be paid, the contractors have gone to the extremes of threatening us with bats and guns, said Nadia Marin-Molina, director of the Workplace Project, located in Hempstead, Long Island.
Every Wednesday evening, the Projects Day Laborers Coordinator Carlos Canales meets with workers who visit the Project saying they are tired of personally collecting their money from their bosses, who made them work long shifts and without paying them.
Rafael Cornejo, Freddy Arreaga and Giovanni Arevalos are some of those workers. Last Wednesday, they filled out forms with which Project staff use to call and send collection letters to the debtor contractors.
If the phone calls do not work, and they do not respond to the letters that we send them, we will begin a more direct plan of action, Canales said. We post flyers with their names and telephone numbers in their churches and other places they may frequent, so that people will call them.
Sometimes these kinds of pressure tactics work, Canales said. Contractors negotiate their debts with the Project, promising to pay the total amount, usually in a couple of payments, and by showing good faith in fulfilling their obligations.
Other contractors pretend not to know what is going on, and then we must protest in front of their homes to make them feel ashamed, he added.
Many times, we have been threatened with bats and guns, but fortunately the police protected us and arrested the aggressors, said Marin-Molina, showing pictures of the violent contractors in handcuffs.
Every Wednesday evening, the Projects Day Laborers Coordinator Carlos Canales meets with workers who visit the Project saying they are tired of personally collecting their money from their bosses, who made them work long shifts and without paying them.
Rafael Cornejo, Freddy Arreaga and Giovanni Arevalos are some of those workers. Last Wednesday, they filled out forms with which Project staff use to call and send collection letters to the debtor contractors.
If the phone calls do not work, and they do not respond to the letters that we send them, we will begin a more direct plan of action, Canales said. We post flyers with their names and telephone numbers in their churches and other places they may frequent, so that people will call them.
Sometimes these kinds of pressure tactics work, Canales said. Contractors negotiate their debts with the Project, promising to pay the total amount, usually in a couple of payments, and by showing good faith in fulfilling their obligations.
Other contractors pretend not to know what is going on, and then we must protest in front of their homes to make them feel ashamed, he added.
Many times, we have been threatened with bats and guns, but fortunately the police protected us and arrested the aggressors, said Marin-Molina, showing pictures of the violent contractors in handcuffs.
Vtmbh article date
2002-07-05
Vtmbh article edition
27
Vtmbh article hit count
106
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1
Vtmbh article original language
Spanish
Vtmbh article publication
Hoy
Vtmbh article section
briefs
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Vtmbh article title
Weve been threatened: The Workplace Project in Hempstead advocates on behalf of Latino day laborers
Vtmbh article translator
Telesh Lopez
Source
born-digital
Media Type
article
Created by Author
yes
Described by Author
no
Date Entered
2002-07-05
Collection
Citation
“Weve been threatened: The Workplace Project in Hempstead advocates on behalf of Latino day laborers,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 1, 2026, https://911.dev.chnm.gmu.edu/items/1703/.