La Barda: Documenting Conditions and Exploring Change at Santa Barbara's Labor Line

Michele Wakin

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DOI: 10.2190/WR.13.4.e

Abstract

Although immigrant workers contribute significantly to the labor market in California, they are at a disadvantage in terms of income level, job security, and prestige. Day laborers are one of the most vulnerable populations as they lack the stability, wages, and conditions associated with more traditional forms of employment. Sociologists have examined the economic contributions of day laborers and estimated their overall demographics, yet there is very little longitudinal, ethnographic data on the day labor population to date. This paper provides a case study of the day labor line in Santa Barbara, California, known as "La Barda." It uses a variety of qualitative methods including: a two-year longitudinal profile of one worker, 15 in-depth interviews, and a review of existing day labor centers. The overall goal of this research is to examine current conditions involved in waiting for and obtaining work and to explore solutions to the primary problems day laborers face.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.