Cardinal Timothy Dolan is joined by Mayor Mike Spano of Yonkers in cutting the ribbon. Photo from Catholic Charities New York
On Monday, May 1st Catholic Charities of New York celebrated the official opening and ribbon cutting of the Day Laborers Center in Yonkers. This center offers services to help newcomers to this country who want to work to support their families, and it provides education to individuals on workplace safety, fair pay, English classes and more.
More than 10 years in the making, the Obreros Unidos (Workers United) Day Labor Center in Yonkers was dedicated May 1 in ceremonies that included remarks from Timothy Cardinal Dolan; Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, and performances from karaoke singers and a mariachi band, in a celebration of a Catholic Charities project which provides support and education for day laborers.
“Obreros Unidos is standing up for us,” said Jose Antonio Galdamaz, a member of the organization’s board and a factory worker. “You are saving our lives,” he told the assembled dignitaries and workers, as he praised the agency for providing life-saving OSHA training for construction workers and for standing up for immigrant workers who suffer wage theft.
Located in a strip mall adjacent to the Saw Mill River Parkway frequented by day workers seeking employment and contractors needing help, the new Catholic Charities Day Labor Center serves as an education and resource center.
The group is active in all kinds of issues affecting Latino immigrants in Westchester County, from food assistance during the Covid pandemic to forging improved relations with the local police, said Jose.
“We are working with the local police to keep our community united and strong. We are not afraid of the police in Yonkers anymore. We work together,” he said, noting a renewed spirit of cooperation that now exists which he credited to the work of Obreros Unidos and the center’s team.
Cardinal Dolan praised the forward-thinking vision of Catholic Charities. “Catholic Charities has a unique ability to be proactive in seeing challenges,” noted the cardinal, who said he noticed day laborers on street corners in Yonkers while visiting St. Joseph’s Seminary after being named archbishop of New York in 2009.
The Center features a kitchen for social occasions as well as rooms for day laborers connecting with employers. Classes are offered in varied topics, including workplace safety, English, nanny care, and guitar.
Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, noted that the Center is the result of a coalition that Catholic Charities’ has been able to forge among union, church, business and community leaders. One of those leaders is Mayor Mike Spano of Yonkers, who noted that immigrants in Yonkers, through Catholic Charities, “have someone who will stick up for you.”
Visit catholiccharitiesny.org for more information.
