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Day laborers in Southern California struggle as work dries up due to COVID-19

Some workers are organizing to hand out food and supplies to members of their community in crisis.

This sign encourages potential employers and workers to congregate at the Pasadena Community Job Center, run by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. But the Center closed in March.
This sign encourages potential employers and workers to congregate at the Pasadena Community Job Center, run by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. But the Center closed in March.
Paulina Velasco

Day laborers work a variety of jobs: construction, gardening, cleaning. It’s already precarious work, with unstable wages that vary from day to day. But that kind of work has become scarce since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many days, there is no work at all. In response to the crisis, organizers at a local jobs center in Pasadena, California, are shifting their attention to help struggling households put food on the table.

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