| Solution
for Labor Site Elusive |
| The Town of Herndon last week announced that it had received
no bids from companies or people interested in operating a
new day labor site in town, one that specifically serves only
workers with legal documents to work. |
| This should have come as a surprise to no one. In putting
forth the idea of operating a hiring center under the model
of an employment agency, the town has created a center that
would serve few people and would not generate enough income
for any organization. |
| One of the council members had pointed out during discussions
about how the request for proposal should be worded accurately
pointed out that if the contractor was successful in offering
services only to legally documented immigrants, there could
be as few as 15 people showing up to find work. |
| That miniscule customer base would make it nearly impossible
to attract the types of businesses who would hire laborers,
and it could make it more difficult for the day laborers to
find work. |
| Not to mention that once again, we could be back to having
close to 100 other people roaming the streets of the town
trolling for work. In that scenario, any day labor center
won't work. |
| The problems posed by illegal immigrants and day laborers
to the Town of Herndon are complex, but the Town Council needs
to go back to the drawing board to find better solutions than
this one. |
