On October 21, 2005, dozens of Austin day laborers appeared at a meeting of the Austin City Council and called on the City and Home Depot to cooperate with the workers in establishing a safe and orderly hiring site for day laborers to seek jobs next to the Home Depot store located at North I-35 and St. Johns Avenue. 

Supported by EJC's Central Texas Immigrant Worker Rights Center and Religion and Labor Network of Austin, the day laborers explained that they come to the Home Depot story only to seek work to support themselves and their families.  It is Home Depot that has made this particular store a magnet for day laborers, by designating it to be their local store that attracts and caters to building contractors, providing special facilities, staff and services for contractors.

Until recently, the workers and EJC staff had worked out a reasonable informal accommodation with local Home Depot managers allowing workers to utilize an open space behind the store and abide by a code of conduct the workers had adopted.  However, Home Depot corporate headquarters recently imposed from above a one-size-fits all national policy that prohibits all job solicitation on their property and forbids local store managers from even speaking with workers or local community groups.  This Home Depot policy has not made day laborers disappear; rather has had the effect of merely pushing the workers onto crowded public sidewalks and curbsides and onto the property of neighboring businesses, increasing the unsatisfactory fall-out for neighborhood businesses and residences.

The day laborers who came to the Austin City Council asked that the City to work with them to set up a safe, orderly, and dignified site that will accommodate the concerns of the the City, Home Depot, neighborhood residents, and the workers.  They also asked the City to help persuade Home Depot to act responsibly as a good corporate citizen and join the effort to find a community-friendly solution.  In addition, the workers, many of who reside in the neighborhood, presented the Council with over 200 letters signed by neighborhood residents who support the day laborers efforts to create a safe well-regulated hiring site at the Home Depot store. 

News stories about the day laborers City Council appearance on Oct. 20, 2005:

Related New York Times story from Austin, about the nation-wide controversy between Home Depot and day laborers.  Story includes comments by EJC staff and Austin workers whom EJC is supporting.