by Stewart S Lilker

After years of congregating in the parking lots at the Freeport train station and years of complaints from the public, the Latino day workers seem on the verge of finally getting a shape up site that is safe and organized. As reported earlier, Freeport’s secretive Mayor, William F. Glacken, had contacted Catholic Charities to organize the site, while at the same he attempted to keep the project under wraps. Incredibly, Glacken threatened the existence of this publicly funded project buy issuing a gag order on the Latino day workers. Glacken told the representatives of the workers that if they spoke about the new shape up site, the project would be over.

Freeporter, Eloy Yndigoyen, a professional educator and respected Latino Rights Activist spoke about the gag order, telling FreeportNYNews (FNYN), “It makes this issue very suspicious. I think we need more information. There are a lot more questions than answers. I am concerned about the violence surrounding this issue. If Glacken is going by the book, then why isn’t he saying anything about it? He is hiding something, I’m sure.”

Robert Lepley, the Executive Director of UPSERG, United People for Social, Economic and Racial Justice, a coalition that focuses on racism and poverty on Long Island, was asked by your reporter how he felt about he gag order and Glacken’s threat that if the workers spoke about the project, it would be taken away. Mr. Lepley said, “Speaking for myself, not for UPSURGE or as spokesperson for the workers, I would say that Mayor Glacken has no right to put a gag order on anybody.

Bob Zilinski of Baldwin, an opponent of the proposed shape up site also spoke about Mayor Glacken’s gag order. “I don't think it's right and he had no right to do that. As an elected official, he took an oath to uphold the Constitution. What he did is against the law. He blackmailed the workers into silence.”

Carlos Canales, the workers' representative and a Director of the Work Place Project, a non profit group that works directly with the workers, had previously been arrested by the Freeport Police for handing out literature. The intimidation tactic by the Mayor did not work. Glacken had the charges dropped and the workers still shaped up at Freeport’s Dunkin Donuts.

Your reporter asked Mr. Canales, “Some people feel it’s a cultural difference. They realize that in Central America, you just don’t talk up. Do you feel that if you don’t let the people know what is going on, then you have something to hide?” Mr. Canales answered, “Yes, I agree with that.”

Your reporter continued, “We know that the Mayor’s comment was to others, and to Julio [Julio Canas - day worker representative], that if you say anything about this, there will not be a center.” Mr. Canales said, “That’s true.”

Your reporter asked, “How do you feel about this?”

Mr. Canales thought a moment, and with pain in his voice, said, “I don’t feel well. But I Carlos, as an organizer, had to make a decision. I Carlos, as a person, would prefer the struggle without having to pay that price. That’s a high price for me, personally, but that’s for me. Personally, who cares about Carlos? The main consideration is the welfare of the workers. It is a high price.”

Finally, your reporter  discussed the gag order and Glacken’s threat with Scott Stepp, the Coordinator of Public Affairs and Development for Catholic Charities. Mr. Stepp said, “That’s the first I’ve heard of anything like that. It sounds a little incredible. It doesn’t seem consistent with the spirit of cooperation that we’ve seen in Freeport from so many groups, the workers, the village. The spirit of cooperation is what we’ve tried to bring to this [project].”

When Will The Site Open?
How Much Has the Project Cost?
Who Owns the Trailer?

This past Monday night, August 5, 2002, your reporter asked Mayor Glacken when the site will be up and running. Glacken said, “It hasn’t been decided yet, but it will be soon.”

Early last week, Nadia of the Work Place Project told FNYN, “The site is supposed to open up every other day, but we are trying to keep it quiet for now.”

Scott Stepp of Catholic Charities said, “We are hoping the end of August. There are a couple of things that have to be worked out.

When your reporter asked Glacken how much the village has spent on the project so far, Glacken only mentioned ten thousand dollars of the twenty thousand the village has already spent. Glacken said that the funding actually wasn’t coming from the village, but the Freeport Community Development Agency.

Keeping Freeport’s residents and the workers in the dark, Glacken has kept the ownership of the recently arrived trailer, a mystery. It appears that either Glacken doesn’t want anybody to know who paid for it, or he just doesn’t know.

On June 24, 2002 Glacken explained the ownership of the trailer this way, “I understand the trailer has been donated to Catholic Charities. It needs some rehab work, which will be about five thousand [dollars]. The other five thousand will be used for the electrical and water hookups. And they will be paying electric and water bills.

Carlos Canales told FNYN, “I understood that the Mayor initially said he wouldn’t put any money up for the trailer, then there was a meeting and the mayor said he would cooperate with the trailer. The trailer was not given to us, the trailer was given to Catholic Charities.”

This past Friday Scott Stepp told FNYN, “I honestly don’t know at this point. I checked with finance and I know it [the trailer] didn’t come from here. I called the village and left a message.”

Glacken’s Relationship With the Latinos

The Glacken regime has had a stormy relationship with Freeport’s Latino population, culminating last year with the Attorney General and noted civil rights attorney, Fred Brewington investigating the wholesale violations of Latino homeowners and renters civil rights by the Freeport Police Department and the Building Department. According to the Attorney General’s office, the investigation is ongoing.

Your reporter asked Eloy Yndigoyen if he trusted the Mayor in his relations with the Hispanic community. Mr. Yndigoyen expressed the views of the majority of Hispanic community when he said, “No. He has a record, which is terrible. There is no trust and no communication with the Hispanic community.”

The Site Management 

Other than threats against the workers and Glacken’s attempts to keep the public and the press in the dark about the shape up site, Glacken has not been forthcoming with any of the details regarding the running of the site, the registering of the workers and contractors, publicity or anything else. At the end of last week, it appears that Glacken gave an interview to Newsday’s Bart Jones. It will be interesting to see if Glacken has been more forthcoming with Newsday, than with Freeport’s residents, who are donating money and the site to the project.

Catholic Charity's, Scott Stepp, unlike Freeport’s Mayor Glacken, was very cooperative and forthcoming in answering your reporter’s questions. He didn’t beat around the bush or try to evade answers. If he didn’t know an answer, he found out and called back.

            FNYN:     The Mayor has alternately said that he called Catholic Charities and that Catholic Charities called him.

            MR. STEPP:     It was the Mayor’s initiative. That is my understanding.

            FNYN:     The workers and the Workplace Project. What role will they have in sharing the responsibility of running the center?

            MR. STEPP:     There will be ground rules and there will be a way of assigning labor as the contractors come through. The method for controlling that is going to be developed with the workers.

            FNYN:      When you say the workers, do you feel that the Work Place Project represents the workers or are the workers and the Work Place Project two separate entities?

            MR. STEPP:     I would say they are two separate entities. The Work Place Project is a nonprofit and the workers are the workers.

            FNYN:     Do you expect to register the contractors?

            MR. STEPP:     I haven’t heard of doing anything like that. It’s not our place to be the IRS.

            FNYN:     What about making sure the contractors are licensed? Will the workers be registered with you in any way?

            MR. STEPP:     We have other things going on there. We will have ESL classes. They might be registered in that way, but let me get back to you on that.

(fifteen minutes later)

            MR. STEPP:     With regard to the licensing of contractors and that sort of thing and registering the workers who use the site. Our site management is not going to involve so much of that as it will involve crowd management and traffic flow. Anything else is not really within our authority to control.

            FNYN:     I heard you have hired someone to run the site

            MR. STEPP:     Oscar Cortez is managing the site. He has a business background and might even have an MBA. He seems to be the perfect person to run the place. He is going to be an employee of  Catholic Charities.

The Workers -- Are They Legal -- Should They Pay Taxes?

The predominant objections to the day workers is that first, the workers are not legal and second, they pay no taxes. Of course, as with everything else, Freeport’s Mayor Glacken has been silent on this.

Pasquale Blanco, the Executive Director of La Fuerza, Inc. of Glen Cove, developed the day worker shape up site concept in the 80’s and has been instrumental in protecting minority and day workers for almost two decades. Mr. Blanco explained that most of the workers are citizens or have legal resident status. Regarding the question of taxes Mr. Blanco explained that is a complicated and troublesome issue for many and there are no easy answers to this.

Carlos Canales of the Work Place Project said, “The workers have legal status. They have documents from INS. Every time they buy something, they pay taxes.”

Eloy Yndigoyen said, “A lot of those people have papers. They are protected by TPS, which extends their immigration status. They are protected, so there is no illegality when it comes to those things. From talking to them, I think the majority of the workers are here legally and many of them are citizens. It is not that the workers are not paying taxes, it is the contractors that are not paying taxes. If you think about it the workers are not breaking the law, it is the guy that is coming to pick them up that is breaking the law.”

Kathy (last name withheld by request) of Seaford expressed the views of many when she told FNYN, “I think they are illegal -- 98% of them. They are entitled to work, but are they working legally?”

Monty Stratton of Freeport said, “If they are not legal, they shouldn’t be working, period.”

Robert Zilinski of Baldwin said, “They pay no taxes, no social security, no medical, yet they get all the benefits of a citizen, plus. Everybody turns their head. Some say that if the illegals weren't allowed in the country and weren’t allowed to work that all the contractors and the lawn services would go out of business tomorrow. I don’t believe that.”

Everyone Agrees
The Day Workers and the Village Need An Alternative

Everyone agrees, the day workers and the village need an alternative to the present situation on Sunrise Highway. While not everybody agrees on a solution, it is clear that no one is comfortable with what is going on at the Freeport train station parking lot and Dunkin Donuts. Passersby don’t understand why the workers spread out in the parking lot and why the workers swarm when the contractors arrive looking for workers.

Kathy of Seaford speaks for many when she says, “I feel creepy when I drive by. It’s windows up doors locked. I don’t like the way they look at me. It’s very intimidating. I don’t think they should be there. It’s like they have taken it over. I wouldn’t get out of my car and walk past those men. If I wanted a cup of coffee, I would go somewhere else.

Epilogue

It’s time Mayor Glacken and the Glackenites bit the bullet, came out of the shadows and leveled with the public. If the Glackenites are serious about this project, they must immediately announce their intentions, publicly announcing the opening of the site and their reasons for it.

They must open up a curb cut on Sunrise Highway so the contractors have free entry to the site and they must create signage announcing its whereabouts to the contractors and the workers, in both Spanish and English.