Recently, Governor Corzine has assembled a task force to deal specifically with issues related to day-workers. Plainfield Board of Education member Christian Estevez was appointed by the Governor, and I asked that the Governor also appoint Ms. Carol Brokaw, Esq. Ms. Brokaw is an attorney who specializes in Labor matters.
Concerns over day-laborers are affecting our entire state, and are certainly of great concern to the City of Plainfield. This is an issue that has not been appropriately addressed at either the State or Federal level, and so it has been my position to hold off on making any recommendations here in Plainfield until we have a State or Federal policy that is legally sound and fair to all involved. But the matter has reached crisis levels here in Plainfield. In the city’s downtown area, the daily congregation of laborers is affecting the flow of traffic and merchants are complaining. For the past six months I have been meeting with various organizations that deal with issues surrounding day-laborers as well as community leaders and city merchants in order to try to come up with fair solutions and policies to address the concerns of all involved. It is paramount to me that everyone, regardless of their ethnic background, is dealt with in a professional and respectful manner.
Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with Ms. Brokaw to discuss these issues, and I feel confident that she will add a valuable perspective to the task force and help to move in the right direction toward addressing these issues. Her recommendations involve dealing not just with laborers but with anyone in our community in need of services in terms of employment, housing and health care.
If you have any recommendations that you would like me to pass along or you would like to participate in finding good, fair solutions to these problems, please feel free to contact my office.
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