LOS ANGELES — On a cold Tuesday morning, Genaro Guerra biked to the U-Haul lot in Atwater Village, in the northeast part of the city, praying to find work even through it had been 62 days since his last job.
This time of the year is stressful for Guerra, a 42-year-old day laborer from Guatemala. The men who often hire him for construction jobs head home to Mexico and Central America for the holidays. So Guerra pedals to Fletcher Drive and Larga Avenue, hoping to be hired as a mover.
Every day, low-wage workers show up at curbside hiring sites like this one, seeking work on construction projects, roofing installations and landscaping jobs. They are often immigrant men living in the country without documentation, making them susceptible to wage thefts and other unfair labor practices.
