The Filipina woman at the Hershey’s coffee shop on the corner of 72nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue, in Jackson Heights, Queens used to complain about the day laborers who stand near her business; now she lets them come in and she keeps a broom and dustpan so they can clean up during the day.

The “Hindu?who runs the Roby Variedades store, at 40-02 69th Street, also keeps a broom and dustpan handy. The “Chinese woman,?owner of the grocery on the corner of 69th Street and Roosevelt is still resistant to the idea of keeping cleaning supplies in her store, but at least she greets the day laborers with a smile.

“The workers want to change their image in the community. They are organizing and have started to clean the streets to show that they don’t want to cause problems; they just want to work to live decently,?said Oscar Paredes, executive director of the Latin American Workers Project (PTLA for the acronym in Spanish), an organization that advocates for immigrants?employment rights.

Since early May, the Department of Health has given workers plastic bags so they can collect garbage. The day workers, who began the cleaning campaign on April 6, believe that this is the first step to get trash cans approved. Meanwhile, green bags hang on posts on the now-clean streets off Roosevelt Avenue. And the streets no longer smell like urine, because the Parks and Recreation Department and some churches in the area have finally allowed the workers to use public bathrooms.

Small gains

Every Friday night since September 2003, between 30 and 40 day laborers attend Latin American Workers Project workshops on labor law and leadership at the Saint Paul Episcopal Church on 61st Street and 39th Avenue.

“They learn what to do if they are arrested, if there is an accident at work, how to get wages when they are not paid or to protect themselves if their bosses treat them badly,?explained Javier Gallardo, the project’s labor organizer.

Thirty or 40 is a large group, but it is barely 4 percent of the total number of workers that the Latin American Workers Project estimate are in the area. From 6 a.m. ?and even earlier in the summer ?about 1,000 day laborers stand on 65th and 74th Streets and Roosevelt Avenue and between Queens Boulevard and Broadway. After Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, this is the second largest gathering place for day laborers in the country, according to the Gallardo.

The life of a day laborer

At first glance, they seem to be many but not thousands. Groups of 10 to 30 people meet on the corner of Roosevelt Avenue. The community is used to their presence, but has not accepted them. According to Paredes, this paradox has been an obstacle to organizing workers because the workers have become accustomed to the rejection of the community that discriminates against them, but nonetheless has permitted them to meet there for years.

“In areas like Brooklyn, the reaction of the community was so strong that the workers had to act quickly to ease the tension and make a place for themselves in the community,?said Paredes.

However, and in spite of improvements, at Community Board 3, 4 and 1 meetings you often hear complaints about the workers?behavior, the majority of them related to the harassment of women, dirtiness and obstructing traffic.

“I am afraid to walk near them, because some shout things at the women and are drunk,?said Idelina Pertuz, a Colombian living in the area.

In spite of the workers?rough appearance, the majority are shy, rural Hispanics.

“We are healthy and we come to look for honest work,?said Pedro Luque, a Peruvian who arrived with his green bag with the intention of bringing the cleaning campaign to the attention of the press. But a drunk man ?one among hundreds ?interrupted incoherently. “He is an exception,?Luque hurried to say.

Others joined in the explanation. “Our goal is to have a work center because this is a disgrace. The people don’t like us; they make fun of us and treat us like thieves,?said Ignacio Sánchez, a Mexican. Some workers risked giving their names, but the majority refused to identify themselves because they fear the police or immigration authorities will come after them.

“Things are changing, but they still treat us like garbage,?said Gallardo as justification for the comments of the workers.

Under the shadow of the police

Between January and February the day laborers were victims of a series of arrests and a flurry of supposedly unjustified fines that led about 300 workers to march along Roosevelt on March 1 to protest what they called police harassment. In April, assemblyman Jos?Peralta and the Latin American Workers Project organized a meeting to open a dialogue between officers in the 108th and 115th precincts and the workers.

At the meeting, Oscar Paredes said that the fines were between $50 and $500 and even more. Captain Matthew Whelan of the 108th precinct, arrived at the Jewish Center in Jackson Heights with officers from the 115th precinct, but refused to enter when he realized members of the press were there.

Peralta said that the fines were almost exclusively given by officers from the 108th precinct, although the majority of tickets was given within the 115th precinct area, which begins on the east side of 69th Street.

A spokesperson for the police said that no law prohibits officers from giving fines within the limits of other precincts.

According to Peralta, Whelman told him that the fines were in response to complaints from merchants and residents in the area.

Peralta said last week that, after the meeting, the number of tickets had gone down considerably, but that they still had not convinced police officers to speak with the day laborers.

“They’re not stopping them like before because they know the press is on it,?said Peralta.

Work like dogs

Day laborers have the discipline to spend the entire work day waiting for someone to hire them even if it’s just for a couple of hours. However, sometimes they go days without getting work. After a few hours in the parking lot of the supermarket on 73rd Street, a van finally stopped in front and 15 workers ran to the spot. Only two got work.

“We come to wait, sometimes we get work, sometimes not. For 15 days I haven’t gotten anything,?said Martín Melchor, a Mexican from Guerreros.

The majority of the day laborers respect the project’s representatives. They greet Javier Gallardo courteously and always take the opportunity to tell him their concerns.

“I have a problem,?interrupts a worker who refused to give his name. “They gave me a bad check for $1,150 for more than 15 days of work.?Gallardo gives him a short explanation and tells him about the meeting on Friday.

A day laborer, who is an assistant at a worksite and is part of an organization earns an average of $10 an hour.

But in Jackson Heights, an increase in the number of day laborers and the lack of organization have brought down the price of work. Some work eight or nine hours for $30.

A fair price “depends on their skills,?explained one day laborer. Some are professional carpenters, bricklayers or painters, and you would think they would earn more, but many employers take advantage of the workers and pay less than they promise or not at all.

The time when day laborers could make thousands have passed. “Now there are a lot of us. On my best week I don’t get more than $300 and that is if we work three or four days a week,?said Ignacio Sánchez.

Generally the work consists of cleaning out debris, loading blocks or bringing sand up to the roof.

“They want us for the hardest jobs, but they don’t give us the safety equipment we need like goggles, earplugs or rubber boots. They don’t even want us to go the bathroom or buy water because they say that we’re wasting time. We’re going back to slavery, but for Hispanics,?said Martín García, from Mexico City.

No place to work this out

In some cases the relationship between worker and employer develops so that the employer calls the worker directly with new jobs. In Brooklyn, experience indicates that workers affiliated with the project tend get more respect from police and employers, explained Paredes. Day laborers from the worker center in Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, charge a minimum of $10 per hour, have an identification card, sign a contract before going to work, have police support and actively participate in community board meetings.

“The workers have managed to be seen as small businessmen; although they are undocumented, they pay taxes, because we help them to get a Individual Tax Identity Number to pay taxes,?said Paredes.

But in Jackson Heights, negotiations for a worker center ?the panacea at this organizational level ?move slowly.

“We are trying to speak with different organizations, but no one in this area wants to open their doors. A church on Roosevelt considered it, but then refused because they have a day care close by,?said Peralta.

The assemblyman said they are trying to get permission in another spot closer to Corona. “We are speaking with Shea Stadium about using their parking lot because it is close to the highways, the subway and the buses.?

However, the politician’s promises have lost their credibility among workers and organizers. “He offered again and again, but never did anything. What we’ve gotten has been because of the workers,?said Paredes.

However, Peralta said that he hopes to reach a solution before the end of this year.

Under the Constitution and labor law, workers ?even undocumented ones ?have the right to fair pay and to have their civil rights respected.

According to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (www.ndlon.org), 35 percent of construction jobs in the country are filled by day laborers.