Poverty wages for day laborers recruited for inauguration

Original article, by Jeff Lassahn, via World Socialist Web Site:

The inauguration festivities for Barack Obama are estimated to cost as much as $150 million. Just under a third of this tab will be covered by the influence-peddling donations of the wealthy. The bulk of the costs will fall on the general tax-paying population, which faces rapidly increasing unemployment and sharp declines in income.

Yep, it was a beautiful day. And the $150 million spent probably was good for the DC economy (at least the money wasn’t going directly to the bankster frauds). However, wherever 2 million people show up, there’s much cleaning up to do. I wonder how much those workers will profit by doing said work?

For those serving the wealthy and politically connected-chauffeurs, valets, banquet servers, bartenders-the need for high-quality service at a unique event often offers jobs paying $20-30 an hour. Many part-time and full-time service workers will welcome bringing home several hundred dollars a night for a few days, an increasingly rare occurrence in these dismal economic times.

Well, so far, so good. The many high end parties are good for some workers. And what about those who work, but not for the high enders?

For those serving the general public, however, this author found that poverty-wage day labor is being used to clean up the massive outdoor events. The job description recruiting for this work, seen through the window of a Labor Ready temporary staffing office in Richmond, Virginia, is worth quoting in full:

Time to be in branch: Will know Friday (Probably 5 am)

How Long Job Lasts: With travel time-15 hours plus / Please be aware travel time is not paid

Pay: $7.55 an hour

Job Duties: trash pickup / horse manure pickup (no joke!)

Dress Attire: Must dress warm-gloves/hats/scarves/extra liners/jackets. You will not be able to go if you don’t dress warm.

LONG HOURS / TEDIOUS WORK / OUTSIDE IN FREEZING WEATHER / HIGH SECURITY / NO BAGS ALLOWED / PLEASE BE AWARE

So, the day laborers, probably at the wonderful concert over the weekend, got to work cleaning up after the attendees and the horses, for $7.55 an hour. $7.55 an hour in temperatures below freezing, and without travel pay. Think about it.

In the US, temporary labor offices employ workers as needed by companies, leaving workers with no job security and few if any benefits. Many office and industrial jobs last for weeks or months, and temporary employees in turn are paid on the standard weekly basis. By contrast, Labor Ready’s slogan is “Work Today Paid Today,” as the agency offers the most insecure and back-breaking jobs, with particular focus on unskilled construction, industrial and service work.

Of course, some job is better than no job. And, yes, such work doesn’t require a college degree. The question for us is as to whether those workers should be paid a living wage for their work? Is it possible that some of that $150 million for the inauguration could have gone for higher worker payment?

The day-labor system offers long hours of work and waiting, zero security, high travel expenses and low wages. For the employer, the benefits are enormous, as a worker can be ordered like raw material-and then tossed aside the very next day like a spent resource. Apparently those organizing the labor for the Obama inaugural celebration were quite keen on these benefits.

Perhaps this was an oversight by the inaugural organizers. Perhaps DC has contracts with the day laborer providers to pay a set amount per year. It seems to me that the inaugural organizers should have done better. Let’s hope this is not an indication of how Obama and his administration will treat workers during his time in office.