day laborers

(Newser) - An Alaska politician who referred to Mexican laborers as "wetbacks" earlier in the week says he "meant no disrespect" by the term, but stopped short of apologizing, reports the Anchorage Daily News . Rep. Don Young was giving a radio interview Tuesday when, in a discussion about the economy,...

(Newser) - The high unemployment rate is making day labor in America the "occupation" of a far broader, more diverse population. While the informal nature of the sector makes it tough to compile accurate statistics, the number of people seeking casual work is rising across America, as is the number of...

(Newser) - The ruling blocking key parts of Arizona's immigration law hasn't cooled tempers in the state. Dozens of people were arrested in Phoenix yesterday as protesters gathered to demonstrate against the law. Protesters surrounded a downtown jail and the office of controversial sheriff Joe Arpaio, who vowed that the protests won't...

(Newser) - With tomato pickers earning 45 cents per 32-pound bucket—the same wage as 30 years ago—fair-labor coalitions have long staged protests and boycotts. Now one of the country's biggest food-services companies is taking up the cause, the Washington Post reports. Bon Appetit says that if growers don't agree to...