In November VOZ began a new era, launching a campaign to invite day laborers at the Workers’ Center and on the corners to obtain the new VOZ I.D., which makes them members of the organization. With this I.D., VOZ will become a stronger, more visible organization that can win better conditions for workers.
With the membership I.D., day laborers can:
- Identify themselves to employers as members of VOZ, which gives them a more professional image and assures them of better treatment.
- Receive assistance in filing wage claims, even if they were hired on the corners.
- Request a letter of recommendation from VOZ for a job application, etc.
- Vote in the monthly assemblies.
- Be elected to the Day Laborer Committee or the Board of Directors.
- Keep their personal information and work history in the VOZ database, which gives them a series of rights.
These rights include:
- The right to be assigned to work according to their capacity and experience.
- The right to request a letter listing their experience and income to show when applying for a job or an apartment, requesting public assistance or reductions in hospital bills.
- The right to have VOZ contact their family in Oregon, in another state or in their country of origin.
When day laborers have a VOZ I.D., employers will benefit too; they can:
- Hire workers with confidence, knowing that they are members of VOZ and are backed by the organization.
- Request a worker with special skills.
- Submit an evaluation of the workers assigned to them—their comments will be entered in the database.
This historic moment is the fruit of more than a year’s effort by day laborers and VOZ staff. As the poet León Felipe wrote: “What’s important isn’t getting there quickly by yourself, but rather, getting there together and on time.”